WILD  LIFE 


IN   THE 


ROCKYMOUNTMNS 


OR  THE 


LOSTMILLIONDOLIAR 
GOLD  MINE 


Thomas   and  Jones  Panning   Out   Gold  on  Bivens   Gulch 


Wild  Life  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains 


OR  THE 


Lost  Million  Dollar  Gold  Mine 


By  D.  K.  THOMAS 
's 

ILLUSTRATED  BY  ALICE  MOSELEY  AND  M.  REYNOLDS 


A  true  story  of  actual  experiences  in  the  wild  west. 

Exciting  adventures  with  wild  animals,  Indians  and 
desperadoes. 

The  secrets  of  Mormonism. 
A  true  story  of  the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre. 

An  interesting  narrative  of  the  trials  and  hardships 

of  an  early  western  gold  miner  who 

finally  succeeds. 


G.  E.  THOMAS  PUB.  Co. 
1917 


COPYRIGHT  1916 

BY 
D.  K.  THOMAS 


iiaacrch  Library 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface  9 

CHAPTER 

I.     Dave  Thomas  Makes  a  Vow — Thomas 

and  Kipp  Plan  a  Trip 13 

II.     Off  for  the  Great  West— A  Long  Hike 

— A  Charming  Young  Lady 18 

III.  An  Exciting  Hunt 25 

IV.  Col.    Sarpy,   a   Noted   Hunter— Black 

Horse  Tavern  29 

V.     Sweet  Betsy  of  Pike 36 

VI.    A  Wild  West  Girl 41 

VII.    Nonesuch     Puffenberger    Learns    the 
Snake  Dance— A  Wild  West  School 

Tamed 47 

VIII.     Across  the  Great  Plains — Fort  Kear- 
ney to  Denver — Gold  Discovered  on 

Cherry  Creek 57 

IX.     The  Buckskin  Joe  Mines 67 

X.     The  Indians  Are  Coming 70 

XI.    A  Pay  Streak— Nuggets  of  Gold 79 

XII.    In  a  Great  Game  Country 93 

XIII.  Salt  Lake  Valley 98 

XIV.  The  Mysteries  of  Mormonism 105 

XV.    A  Mormon  Woman's  Confession 110 

XVI.     The  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre — An 

Entire  Wagon  Train  Wiped  Out 117 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

XVII.     On  to  Mining  Country — Through  In- 
dian Territory  128 

XVIII.     Saved  by  Indians — A  Eich  Discovery 

— An  Indian  Wedding  135 

XIX.    Koad  Agents  and  Desperadoes 155 

XX.    Dance  Halls  and  Gambling  the  Curse 

of  the  West 162 

XXL     The  Pipe  of  Peace 173 

XXII.     Sixty  Million  Dollars 187 

XXIII.  A  Eeign  of  Terror 197 

XXIV.  Koad  Agents  and  Vigilantes 205 

XXV.     The  Vow  Made  Good— A  Happy  Mar- 
riage    218 


I  dedicate  this  journal  to 

MY  WIFE, 

who  was  the  girl  I  left  behind  me  when  I  started 
for  the  gold  region. 


PREFACE 

This  story  was  written  from  memory  fifty-nine 
years  after  the  vow  was  made;  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  extracts  and  descriptions  taken  from  the 
"Echoes  of  the  Kocky  Mountains,"  written  by  John 
W.  Clampitt,  among  which  were  the  "Mountain 
Meadow  Massacre,"  the  confession  of  Mrs.  G.  S. 
Richards,  the  description  of  the  new  tabernacle  and 
size  of  the  temple,  also  the  arrest  of  George  Ives 
and  his  execution,  and  the  execution  of  Slade  and 
his  previous  history  on  the  plains.  At  the  time  of 
the  execution  of  Ives  and  Slade,  I  was  working  my 
claim  on  Biven's  Gulch  and  know  that  the  extracts 
taken  from  "The  Echoes  of  the  Eocky  Mountains" 
are  true.  The  rest  of  the  story  is  correct  as  remem- 
bered with  but  few  variations.  Many  incidents  con- 
nected with  the  story  have  been  forgotten,  however, 
and  left  out. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  reader,  I  deem  it  necessary  to 
make  an  explanation  in  regard  to  several  places  men- 
tioned in  the  story.  The  Beech  Woods  spoken  of 
was  in  Clark  County,  Ohio,  a  short  distance  west  of 
Springfield,  the  county  seat  of  the  county.  This  was 

9 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

the  station  where   Thomas  and  Kipp  boarded  the 
train  when  they  started  for  the  gold  region. 

The  terminus  of  the  railroad  from  which  they  con- 
tinued their  journey  by  stage  was  Mount  Pleasant, 
the  county  seat  of  Henry  County,  Iowa.  The  new 
town  at  the  end  of  the  stage  route  was  Corning, 
which  was  a  rival  town  with  Quincy  for  the  county 
seat  of  Adams  County,  Iowa.  The  town,  which  con- 
tained two  houses  and  a  blacksmith  shop,  was  Frank- 
fort, the  county  seat  of  Montgomery  County.  Eed 
Oak  was  not  then  in  existence.  Glenwood,  the  county 
seat  of  Mills  County,  was  known  as  Coonville  by  the 
early  settlers.  Council  Bluffs'  first  name  was  Cane- 
ville.  Bethlehem  is  now  Plattsmouth,  Nebraska.  The 
Breckinridge  cabins  on  Blue  Kiver  were  the  first 
cabins  in  Breckinridge,  the  county  seat  of  Summit 
County,  Colorado. 

The  gold  mine  discovered  by  the  train  in  the  moun- 
tains and  abandoned  has  never  been  prospected  and 
worked,  it  seems.  Thirty  years  after  I  returned  to 
the  States  new  discoveries  of  gold  were  being  made 
in  different  parts  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  I  went 
with  a  party  to  hunt  for  the  abandoned  mine.  After 
prospecting  for  a  month  or  more  in  that  part  of  the 
mountains  where  I  thought  the  mine  was  located,  I 
failed  to  find  it.  Not  being  satisfied  with  my  first 

10 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

trip,  three  years  later  I  went  with  another  party  and 
prospected  two  weeks  with  no  better  luck  than  before. 
At  a  railroad  station  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line,  I 
heard  that  there  had  been  five  old  men  there  at  dif- 
ferent times  looking  for  the  mine.  They  had  been 
with  the  train  when  the  mine  was  discovered.  They 
all  failed  to  find  it  and  the  mine  was  known  in  that 
section  of  the  country  as  the  "Lost  Million  Dollar 
Gold  Mine  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. " 

D.  K.  THOMAS. 


CHAPTER  I 

DAVE  THOMAS  MAKES  A  Vow — THOMAS  AND 
KIPP  PLAN  A  TKIP 

It  was  campaign  year  and  Thomas  and  Kipp,  who 
were  returning  home  from  a  political  meeting  on  a 
warm  sultry  day  in  May,  stopped  under  a  beech  tree 
near  the  big  road  to  rest  and  talk  over  their  future 
prospects  in  regard  to  a  business  proposition  that 
they  were  considering.  The  part  of  the  country  that 
they  lived  in  was  known  as  the  Beech  Woods;  so 
named  on  account  of  the  large  number  of  beech  trees 
in  the  vicinity.  They  had  spent  all  of  their  days 
there  with  the  exception  of  the  time  that  they  were 
attending  the  Linden  Hill  Academy.  The  chums 
were  nearly  the  same  age:  and,  in  size  and  looks, 
were  so  nearly  alike  that  they  were  often  called  the 
Beech  Woods  Twins. 

Having  finished  their  school  work,  they  now  worked 
on  the  farm  during  the  spring  and  summer  and 
taught  school  during  the  autumn  and  winter  months. 
They  differed  from  many  young  men  who  spent  their 
first  money  for  horses  and  buggies  in  that  they  saved 
most  of  theirs  to  invest  in  government  land  when 
they  should  make  their  long  talked  of  western  trip. 

While  sitting  there  enjoying  the  cool  shade  under 
the  branches  of  the  tall  trees,  Kipp  said,  "I  met  Mr. 
Tomlin  at  the  convention  today.  He  has  just  returned 

13 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky   Mountains 

from  a  trip  out  west,  where  he  entered  several  hun- 
dred acres  of  government  land.  He  said  that  the 
land  office  had  been  closed  at  Chariton  and  moved 
to  Caneyille;  and  that  all  of  the  government  land  in 
that  section  of  the  country  is  now  011  the  market,  sub- 
ject to  private  entry  at  $1.25  per  acre.  I  think  that 
we  ought  to  get  a  move  on  and  start  on  our  western 
trip.  We  ought  to  start  not  later  than  some  day 
next  week  in  order  to  get  out  there  before  the  best 
land  is  taken." 

Thomas  replied,  "That  is  the  kind  of  talk  that  I 
like  to  hear.  Set  your  day  and  I  will  be  ready." 

"How  will  the  thirteenth  suit?"  asked  Kipp. 

"I  suppose  that  the  thirteenth  will  suit,  but  thir- 
teen is  considered  an  unlucky  number, ' '  said  Thomas. 

"It  has  never  been  an  unlucky  number  for  me," 
answered  Kipp.  "It  will  be  my  birthday  and  this 
will  be  a  good  way  to  celebrate." 

"We  will  consider  it  settled  then  that  we  will  start 
on  that  day  which  will  be  next  Tuesday.  As  this  is 
Friday,  it  will  give  us  several  days  in  which  to  get 
ready  and  call  on  some  of  our  friends  whom  we  will 
want  to  see  before  we  leave.  You  will  want  to  visit 
your  best  girl.  And,  by  the  way,  the  Beech  Woods 
girls  have  much  to  say  about  our  intended  western 
trip.  A  number  of  them  were  present  at  Mrs.  Col- 
lison's  quilting  the  other  day.  They  all  had  some 
prophecy  to  make  about  our  going  west.  I  heard  that 
Martha  Miranda  said  that  neither  of  us  had  been  fifty 

14 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

miles  from  home,  nor  longer  away  from  our  mothers 
than  two  weeks  at  one  time.  Lydia  Sutton  said  that 
if  we  would  let  her  kndtvr  when  we  intended  to  start, 
she  would  bake  cakes  and  fix  us  up  lunch  to  eat  on  the 
road — enough  to  last  until  we  returned.  Mrs.  Col- 
lison  laughed  and  said,  'You  girls  may  be  fooled. 
You  never  can  tell  how  far  a  frog  is  going  to  jump. 
Neither  can  you  tell  how  far  the  boys  will  go,  nor 
how  long  they  will  stay.'  All  of  their  talk  will  not 
have  any  effect  on  our  going  west.  The  way  that  I 
understand  it  is  that  we  are  going  west  to  better  our 
financial  condition.  It  will  help,  not  only  in  a  busi- 
ness way,  but  will  give  us  a  standing  in  society. ' ' 

Kipp  asked,  "Have  we  no  standing  in  society,  or 
is  money  the  only  thing  needed?" 

Thomas  replied,  "A  man  may  have  all  of  the  good 
traits  that  go  to  make  up  character;  he  may  be  tem- 
perate, truthful,  and  honest  in  all  of  his  dealings; 
yet,  without  money  or  its  equivalent,  he  is  not  re- 
spected by  all  classes  as  he  should  be.  It  is  so  in  all 
society  and  business  affairs.  A  poor  man  does  not 
have  any  show.  He  is  looked  upon  as  a  rather  in- 
ferior being — one  that  does  not  amount  to  much. 
The  difference  that  is  now  made  between  the  two 
classes,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  does  not  seem  right; 
it  is  not  right.  But  it  is  so,  always  has  been,  and 
perhaps  always  will  be. ' ' 

"It  does  seem  that  wealth  has  much  to  do  with  a 
person's  standing  and  influence  in  society,"  Kipp 
replied.  "I  had  not  thought  of  it  before;  but  I  do 

15 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

not  believe  that  our  going  west  and  taking  up  a  small 
tract  of  land  will  help  us  much  in  our  business 
affairs." 

Thomas  returned,  '  '  That  alone  may  not,  but  I  have 
a  proposition,  which  I  hope  will  meet  with  your 
approval,  that  I  should  like  to  attach  to  our  western 
trip  which  I  think  will  be  of  benefit  to  us.  I  was 
reading  the  other  day,  in  the  Weekly  Inquirer,  that 
gold  had  been  discovered  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  mines  are  reported  good  and 
yielding  gold  in  paying  quantities.  I  am  in  favor 
of  extending  our  western  trip  across  the  plains  to 
the  gold  fields  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  try  our 
luck  at  hunting  and  digging  gold." 

Kipp  grunted,  "Yes,  and  run  the  risk  of  being 
scalped  by  the  Indians,  or  killed  by  mountain  lions. ' ' 

"It  is  true  there  is  a  risk  to  run.  There  may  be 
an  Indian  or  a  lion  in  the  way ;  but  without  some 
risk  we  cannot  expect  any  great  gain.  There  is  no 
business  proposition  that  we  could  go  into  without 
running  some  risk.  I  am  willing  to  take  that  risk, 
and  I  will  make  a  vow  today  under  this  beech  tree 
that  I  will  go  to  the  gold  fields  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  remain  there  until  I  get  gold  enough  to 
start  me  in  business  and  give  me  a  standing  in 
affairs." 

To  which  Kipp  replied,  "I  am  willing  to  go  west 
with  you  and  perhaps  to  the  gold  fields;  but  I  will 
not  make  a  vow." 

16 


Wild    Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

"It  will  do  this  much  good/'  Thomas  answered. 
"It  will  act  as  a  stimulus  and  have  a  tendency  to 
keep  us  in  harness." 

Here  the  conversation  was  brought  to  a  close  by 
their  hearing  a  loud  clap  of  thunder  above  and  to 
the  west  of  them.  On  looking  around,  they  discov- 
ered for  the  first  time  that  the  western  sky  was  over- 
cast by  clouds,  some  of  which  were  extending  over 
and  above  them.  While  they  were  watching  the 
approaching  storm  with  surprise,  another  clap  of 
thunder  was  heard  above  and  near  them.  Kipp  cried, 
"We  must  get  away  from  this  tree.  A  tree  is  a  poor 
place  for  shelter  during  an  electric  storm. ' '  To  which 
Thomas  replied  that  lightning  was  never  known  to 
strike  a  green  beech  tree;  but  that  by  the  looks  of 
those  heavy  black  clouds  a  terrible  storm,  perhaps 
a  tornado,  was  approaching  and  they  had  better  get 
out  of  the  woods.  They  hastened  out  to  the  big 
road,  and  separated,  each  going  to  his  own  not  dis- 
tant home. 


17 


CHAPTER  II 

OFF  FOK  THE  GrREAT  WEST A  LONG  HlKE — A 

CHARMING  YOUNG  LADY 

On  the  thirteenth,  Thomas  and  Kipp  were  standing 
on  the  platform  in  front  of  the  depot  in  a  city  on 
the  C.  &  S.  Railroad,  their  satchels  containing  their 
clothing  near  them.  They  had  their  tickets  to  the 
western  town  which  was  as  far  west  as  they  could 
go  by  rail.  One  would  naturally  suppose  by  their 
looks  and  actions  that  they  were  about  to  start  on  a 
picnic  excursion.  A  number  of  their  neighbors  and 
friends  who  had  come  to  see  them  off  were  standing 
near  them.  Among  the  number  was  Kipp's  sweet- 
heart, who  seemed  to  be  in  a  comatose  state.  When 
their  train  arrived,  and  the  handshaking,  the  good-by 
wishes  for  a  safe  journey,  were  over,  they  stepped  on 
the  train  and  were  soon  on  their  way  to  visit  the 
glowing  regions  of  the  far  west. 

Their  tickets  were  by  way  of  Chicago,  where  they 
changed  cars  and  stayed  over  night.  They  found 
Chicago  a  prosperous  city  on  Lake  Michigan  built 
on  such  low  flat  land  that  it  appeared  to  be  a  city 
in  the  mud.  The  streets  were  not  paved.  Some  of 
the  main  business  streets,  however,  were  planked. 
Those  not  planked  were  a  loblolly  of  mud  and  water. 
The  wooden  sidewalks  were  in  a  very  bad  condition, 
some  of  them  being  at  one  level  and  some  at  another, 

18 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

due  to  the  fact  that  the  city  was  in  the  process  of 
being  raised  to  a  higher  level.  The  buildings  that 
had  been  raised  had  also  had  the  walks  in  front 
raised,  while  the  walks  in  front  of  buildings  that  had 
not  been  raised  remained  at  the  old  level.  Chicago 
was  having  a  boom.  New  buildings  were  going  up 
in  all  parts  of  the  city.  The  building,  moreover, 
seemed  to  extend  far  out  into  the  country.  The  city 
now  claimed  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants, 
although  the  last  census  had  shown  only  sixty 
thousand. 

On  leaving  Chicago  they  traveled  over  a  prairie 
country  most  of  the  way.  It  was  the  first  prairie 
country  that  Thomas  and  Kipp  had  ever  seen  and 
they  were  much  surprised  at  the  difference  between 
it  and  the  heavy  timber  country  they  had  just  left 
and  had  always  been  accustomed  to.  Having  arrived 
at  the  terminal  of  the  railroad,  they  continued  their 
journey  in  a  two-horse  covered  rig  called  a  stage, 
which  carried  the  United  States  mail  and  had  seats 
for  four  passengers,  the  two  on  the  front  seat  riding 
backward.  The  country  that  they  traveled  over  was 
not  well  settled.  A  boundless  prairie  stretched  on 
every  side  as  far  as  eye  could  reach,  timber  being 
found  only  along  creeks  and  rivers.  Prairie  chickens 
were  numerous.  Deer  and  wild  turkeys  could  some- 
times be  seen  in  and  near  the  timber. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  just  as  the  sun 
was  disappearing  in  the  west  they  arrived  at  a  new 
town  on  the  prairie  consisting  of  a  score  or  more  of 

19 


Wild   Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

houses,  most  of  which  were  grouped  around  a 
square.  It  was  a  rival  town  for  the  county  seat  of 
one  of  the  last  settled  counties.  They  were  now 
informed  that  they  were  at  the  end  of  stage  route. 
The  United  States  mail  was  carried  on  a  buckboard 
which  did  not  carry  passengers.  A  buckboard  is 
a  vehicle  which  consists  of  a  long,  springy  board 
fastened  at  each  end  to  the  axles  with  the  seat  above 
the  front  axles  and  wheels. 

In  order  to  continue  their  journey  they  must 
either  hire  a  conveyance  or  travel  on  foot.  They 
chose  the  latter  for  two  reasons:  first,  to  save  ex- 
penses and  second  to  have  a  change  in  traveling. 
Early  the  next  morning,  therefore,  they  started  for- 
ward on  foot.  They  carried  their  baggage  by  placing 
the  end  of  a  small  stick  or  cane  through  the  handles 
of  their  satchels  and  swinging  them  over  their  shoul- 
ders. By  this  device  it  did  not  interfere  with  their 
walking;  moreover,  the  weight  of  the  baggage  rest- 
ing on  their  backs  and  shoulders  made  it  less  bur- 
densome. Kipp  had  on  a  new  pair  of  boots,  which 
soon  seemed  to  be  a  size  too  small  for  him.  They 
found  the  change  in  traveling  much  different  from 
what  they  had  expected  and  became  very  tired  and 
hungry  long  before  noon.  The  young  men  began 
to  have  regretful  thoughts  of  Miss  Button's  cake 
proposition  and  of  the  old  fashioned  ten  o'clock 
pieces  they  used  to  get  in  the  Beech  Woods.  They 
noticed  a  house  near  the  road  ahead  of  them.  Arriv- 
ing there,  Thomas  told  Kipp  that  if  he  would  ask 

120 


Thomas   and  Kipp   on   the  Hike 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

for  something  to  eat  he  would  pay  for  it.  A  red- 
headed girl  came  to  the  door.  Kipp  asked  if  she 
would  give  them  a  snack.  She  looked  at  them  a  few 
moments  as  if  she  were  sizing  them  up;  then  told 
them  to  come  in  and  gave  them  seats  near  the  door 
and  left  the  room.  She  soon  returned  with  two 
glasses  containing  whisky.  Kipp  and  Thomas  were 
surprised.  They  were  not  in  the  habit  of  indulging ; 
but  as  they  had  been  taught  to  eat  and  drink  what 
was  set  before  them  they  took  the  tumblers  and 
drank  the  contents. 

The  girl  left  the  room.  While  she  was  out,  Kipp 
said,  "I  do  not  believe  that  she  understood  or  knew 
the  meaning  of  the  word  'snack.'  "  Thomas  re- 
plied, "Perhaps  that  was  the  first  course.'7  An 
elderly  lady  accompanied  her  on  her  return.  See- 
ing no  prospect  of  obtaining  anything  to  eat,  Thomas 
told  her  that  they  had  been  traveling  since  early 
in  the  morning  and  were  tired  and  hungry  and 
would  like  to  get  something  to  eat.  She  said  that 
she  could  give  them  a  piece,  but  that  if  they  would 
wait  she  could  get  them  a  meal.  The  men  folks, 
it  seemed,  had  gone  eight  miles  to  help  a  neighbor 
with  his  work  and  would  not  be  home  to  dinner. 
She  promised  to  get  an  early  dinner  if  they  could 
wait.  As  it  was  ten  miles  to  the  next  house,  they 
told  her  that  they  would  be  very  glad  to  wait.  The 
two  women  left  the  room  and  soon  the  sound  of 
the  coffee  mill  was  heard. 

After  the  dinner  was  started  and  well  under  way, 

23 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

the  girl  came  in  and  took  a  seat  near  them  and 
commenced  ia  conversation.  As  it  was  the  first 
opportunity  that  the  young  men  had  had  of  talking 
to  a  charming  young  lady  since  they  had  left  home, 
they  both  took  an  active  part  in  the  conversation, 
each  trying  to  outdo  the  other.  The  conversa- 
tion had  proceeded  far  enough  so  that  all  seemed 
deeply  interested  when  a  baby  lying  in  a  cradle 
at  the  other  side  of  the  room  began  to  cry.  The 
girl  got  up,  excused  herself,  went  to  the  cradle 
and  took  up  the  baby,  still  keeping  up  her  share 
of  the  conversation.  The  baby  ceased  crying  and 
the  young  men  became  convinced  that  she  was  the 
mother  of  the  child.  During  the  dinner  hour  they 
discovered  that  the  supposed  young  girl  was  a  mar- 
ried woman  and  had  been  married  for  over  two 
years.  After  partaking  of  their  meal  they  settled 
their  bill  and  started  on  their  journey. 

When  well  on  their  way,  Thomas  reminded  Kipp 
that  when  he  asked  for  something  to  eat  in  the 
future  he  had  better  use  words  that  could  be  under- 
stood. Kipp  answered,  "Yes,  and  when  you  start 
flirting  with  a  young  woman  in  the  future  you  had 
better  look  around  the  room  and  see  if  there  is  a 
cradle  in  sight  before  you  commence ! ' '  They  trav- 
eled in  the  afternoon  facing  a  strong  west  wind 
which  made  their  progress  slow  and  tedious.  Late 
in  the  evening  they  arrived  at  a  one-story  log  house 
where  they  remained  over  night. 


24 


CHAPTER  III 
AN  EXCITING  HUNT 

In  traveling  in  the  west  a  traveler  is  seldom  if  ever 
refused  a  night's  lodging.  The  house  was  occupied 
by  a  man  and  his  wife.  The  man  seemed  to  be  of 
a  retiring  nature  and  had  very  little  to  say.  The 
woman  did  the  talking  for  both.  They  seemed 
intelligent  and  fond  of  reading.  A  large  collection 
of  books  filled  a  bookcase  along  one  of  the  walls. 
The  bookcase  had  been  fashioned  by  boring  holes 
in  the  logs  several  feet  apart  in  which  pegs  had  been 
driven,  to  which  the  board  shelves  were  nailed.  The 
wall  thus  formed  the  back;  while  the  sides  were 
made  by  nailing  boards  up  to  the  ends  of  the  shelves. 
The  woman  seemed  proud  of  their  books  and  had 
much  to  say  with  regard  to  the  different  kinds  of 
books  that  they  had  and  of  her  favorite  authors. 
Thomas  noticed  some  large  books  on  the  bottom 
shelf  and  asked  if  they  were  an  encyclopedia  or 
"Chambers'  Information  for  the  People."  She  re- 
plied that  they  were  "Information  for  the  People," 
but  not  Chambers'.  They  seemed  to  be  information 
for  the  citizens  of  the  county,  especially  the  tax- 
payers. Her  husband  was  the  County  Treasurer, 
and  the  books  belonged  to  the  county. 

She  told  them  that  the  county  seat,  which  con- 
sisted of  two  houses,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  hotel, 

25 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

store,  and  postoffice,  the  latter  being  in  the  store, 
was  on  the  road  two  miles  west.  The  most  of  the 
county  officers  lived  on  farms  in  the  country.  In 
speaking  of  the  settlement  of  the  county,  she  said 
that  they  were  two  hundred  miles  from  the  rail- 
road, and  sixty-five  miles  from  the  nearest  grist- 
mill. As  it  took  several  days,  four  or  five  at  least, 
to  make  the  trip  to  mill,  a  number  of  the  neighbors 
usually  joined  together  and  camped  out  on  the  road. 
She  also  told  them  that  they  would  find  the  country 
west  of  there  much  more  thickly  settled,  the  reason 
being  that  the  country  west  was  about  half  timber. 
Immigrants  coming  in  settled  near  timber,  prefer- 
ring the  timbered  land  even  though  the  soil  was  not 
as  rich,  because  it  was  the  most  like  the  country 
that  they  had  been  accustomed  to  at  home.  Another 
thing  that  had  greatly  accelerated  the  settlement 
of  the  country  to  the  west  was  the  fact  that  the 
immigrants  came  up  the  Missouri  River  in  steam- 
boats, settled  along  the  river  and  back  into  the 
country. 

Thomas  and  Kipp  spent  the  following  night  in 
Coonville,  a  new  town  near  the  timber.  As  they 
were  approaching  the  town  Kipp  remarked: 

"The  name  of  the  town  and  the  country  near  it 
indicates  that  it  is  a  good  country  for  coons.  If 
Bull,  our  coon  dog,  were  only  here  we  might  have 
a  dandy  coon  hunt." 

"Yes,"  said  Thomas,  "if  it  were  not  for  that 
little  word  IF,  we  could." 

26 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

At  the  hotel  after  supper,  the  conversation  of  the 
parties  present  turned  to  coon  hunting.  Thomas 
and  Kipp  told  several  stories  about  coon  hunting 
in  the  Beech  Woods  country.  A  young  man  by  the 
name  of  Burt  who  belonged  to  the  hotel  asked  them 
if  they  cared  to  go  coon  hunting.  They  replied 
that  they  were  weary  from  traveling  all  day  but 
were  not  too  tired  to  go  coon  hunting  if  it  was  not 
far  to  go.  Burt  assured  them  that  it  was  less  than 
a  mile  to  the  big  timber  where  they  would  find 
plenty  of  coons.  Burt  went  to  the  stable,  got  Cuff, 
the  coon  dog,  and  they  all  started  for  what  he 
called  the  coon  timber.  When  near  the  timber  they 
heard  Cuff  having  a  fight  with  something  in  the 
brush  a  few  rods  from  them.  Rushing  forward  they 
found  him  fighting  with  a  big  coon.  Two  young 
coons  were  standing  near.  These  little  fellows 
Thomas  and  Kipp  easily  caught  and  held  in  order 
to  keep  Cuff  from  killing  them.  Cuff,  aided  by 
Burt,  soon  killed  the  old  mother  coon. 

(Burt  said,  "A  short  horse  is  soon  curried.  This 
ends  our  sport  for  tonight,  as  Cuff  is  no  good  for 
the  hunt  after  he  kills  a  coon.  The  hide  of  this 
coon  is  worthless  for  fur  on  account  of  the  lateness 
of  the  season.  I  will  take  it  home,  skin  it,  and 
tan  the  hide.  The  young  ones  will  do  for  pets. ' ' 

They  started  home,  each  carrying  a  coon,  well 
pleased  with  their  coon  hunt  of  such  short  duration. 
The  next  day,  after  three  days  of  their  change  of 
traveling,  the  young  men  arrived  in  Caneville. 

27 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Caneville  was  the  oldest  and  largest  town  in  tipper 
Missouri  country.  It  was  built  on  Cane  creek  near 
the  bluffs  four  miles  from  the  Missouri  river.  There 
were  several  large  canebreaks  along  the  river,  from 
which  the  town  and  creek  received  their  names.  The 
large  cottonwood  tree  still  stood  on  the  bank  of  the 
creek  near  the  high  bluffs,  under  which  the  Indians 
held  their  council  and  made  their  first  treaty  with 
the  early  settlers. 

Kipp  and  Thomas  were  informed  that  the  Land 
Office  was  open  for  pre-emption  entries  only  and 
would  not  be  open  to  other  than  pre-emption  entries 
until  the  following  spring,  the  object  being  to 
favor  the  settlers  and  help  the  country  by  prevent- 
ing land  buyers  from  purchasing  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  acres  for  speculative  purposes,  thus  retard- 
ing the  populating  >of  the  country.  The  party  or 
parties  making  pre-emption  entries  were  required 
to  live  on  the  land  a  certain  length  of  time  and  to 
do  a  certain  amount  of  work  before  they  received 
their  certificate  of  entry. 


28 


CHAPTER  IV 

COL.  SARPY,  A  NOTED  HUNTER — BLACK  HORSE 
TAVERN 

When  we  next  see  Thomas  and  Kipp  they  are  at 
Bethlehem,  stopping  at  the  Pilgrim  House.  Beth- 
lehem was  a  small  town  on  the  west  'bank  of  the 
Missouri  river.  It  had  been  laid  out  and  started 
by  the  Mormons  when  they  crossed  the  river  al/that 
point  in  search  of  new  homes  and  a  new  Zion  in 
the  Kocky  Mountains.  A  large  number  of  the  Mor- 
mons remained  from  three  to  five  years  in  and  near 
Bethlehem  and  farmed,  before  following  the  Saints 
to  their  new  Zion  in  the  mountains  near  Salt  Lake. 

Thomas  and  Kipp  arrived  in  Bethlehem  only  to 
be  informed  that  they  were  too  late  to  hope  to  get 
with  a  train  in  order  to  cross  the  plains.  .  Most  of 
the  trains  started  as  soon  as  there  was  sufficient 
grass  for  the  stock  to  live  upon,  and  seldom  started 
after  the  first  of  June.  Bethlehem,  however,  was 
just  then  having  a  building  boom ;  and,  as  there  was 
plenty  of  work  at  good  wages  to  be  had,  they  de- 
cided to  go  to  work  and  wait  until  the  next  spring, 
when  they  could  get  an  early  start. 

The  Pilgrim  House  was  a  two-story  frame  build- 
ing, one  of  the  oldest  buildings  in  Bethlehem.  It 
had  been  built  by  Col.  Sarpy,  a  noted  trapper  and 
hunter.  It  had  been  first  named  the  Black  Horse 

29 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

Tavern  in  honor  of  a  large  black  horse  which  the 
Colonel  rode  when  visiting  his  traps;  and  was  still 
known  by  that  name  by  many  of  the  old  settlers. 
The  Colonel  did  not  live  in  his  hotel;  but  kept  it 
rented,  as  he  preferred  to  live  in  an  Indian  shack 
on  the  adjoining  lot. 

The  Colonel  was  not  a  Mormon,  although  he  lived 
with  two  Indian  squaws  who  were  his  wives  accord- 
ing to  the  Indian  custom.  He  was  a  stout,  heavily 
built  man  of  medium  height  and  dark  complexion. 
He  was  of  Canadian  French  parentage,  having  been 
born  and  raised  in  Quebec.  He  came  to  the  upper 
Missouri  country  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  where 
he  soon  became  known  as  an  expert  hunter  and 
trapper.  He  spent  most  of  his  time  among  the 
Indians.  Thus  he  became  the  Indians'  friend  and 
they  were  his  friends.  He  bought  their  furs  and 
shipped  them  to  St.  Louis  for  them.  He  claimed 
and  later  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Bethle- 
hem, a  part  of  which  he  farmed.  It  was  one  of 
the  first  farms  or  ranches  west  of  the  Missouri  river 
and  was  known  as  the  Bellview  Ranch.  The  name 
was  derived  from  the  fact  that  a  large  bell,  hung 
at  the  top  of  &  large  pole,  was  used  as  a  signal  for 
the  country  round  about.  It  suited  the  purpose 
nicely,  as  it  could  be  heard  for  long  distances.  When 
the  country  was  organized  into  a  territory,  one  of 
the  counties  covered  his  ranch  and  received  his  name. 

He  was  a  humane  and  benevolent  man,  always 
ready  and  willing  to  help  those  in  trouble  or  want. 

30 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

One  cold  winter  when  the  snow  covered  the  ground 
to  the  depth  of  two  feet,  he  took  a  starving  band 
of  Indians  into  his  ranch,  fed  and  sheltered  them 
until  the  snow  melted  away  in  the  spring.  He  him- 
self, however,  did  not  live  on  his  ranch,  but  had  it 
superintended  and  managed  by  half-breed  Indians. 

With  all  of  his  good  qualities,  he  had  two  very 
bad  habits;  he  was  a  hard  swearing  man  and  fond 
of  strong  drink.  It  seemed  that  he  tried  to  use  as 
many  profane  words  in  his  conversation  as  he  could. 
He  frequently  used  such  words  as  "hell"  and  " dam- 
nation ";  words  that  had  no  grammatical  relation 
to  the  rest  of  the  sentence.  He  was  not  a  steady 
drinker,  however,  there  were  days  and  weeks  that 
he  would  not  touch  a  drop.  Then  he  would  get  on 
one  of  his  sprees  which  would  last  for  days  and 
sometimes  weeks. 

While  he  was  on  his  spree,  his  wives  would  visit 
his  traps,  riding  on  his  horse,  Black  Ned.  They 
never  used  a  saddle,  but  a  blanket  in  which  there 
were  pockets  for  stirrups.  They  always  went  together 
and  rode  man  fashion ;  one  of  them,  however,  facing 
forward  and  the  other  facing  backward.  Thus  there 
were  very  few  things  that  escaped  their  view.  They 
did  not  use  the  bow  and  arrow,  but  each  one  had  a 
carbine  strapped  to  her  body.  They  could  shoot, 
moreover,  with  great  accuracy  and  many  a  deer, 
antelope,  and  beaver  was  shot  and  killed  from  the 
back  of  Black  Ned. 

The  Mormons  owned  a  large  church  in  Bethlehem, 

31 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

where  meetings  were  held  on  Sunday  and  sometimes 
during  the  week.  A  Mormon  and  his  wife  who 
lived  a  short  distance  in  the  country  invited  Thomas 
and  Kipp  home  for  dinner  one  Sunday.  The  dinner 
was  almost  ready  to  put  on  the  table  when  the 
woman  hinted  that  she  would  like  to  have  a  pail  of 
water.  Thomas  and  Kipp  volunteered  to  get  the 
water  if  she  would  give  them  a  couple  of  pails  to 
get  it  in.  She  handed  them  the  pails  <and  told  them 
where  to  get  the  water  at  a  spring  a  short  distance 
from  the  house.  As  they  iarrived  near  the  spring 
they  saw  a  huge  black  snake  lying  in  the  path 
before  them.  It  soon  disappeared  through  the  weeds 
to  a  brush  pile.  Not  having  anything  with  them 
with  which  to  kill  the  snake,  they  filled  their  pails 
and  returned  to  the  house.  Kipp  told  of  seeing  a 
monstrous  black  snake  as  long  as  a  rail  near  the 
spring.  It  frightened  the  little  girl  who  was  sitting 
on  the  floor  so  that  she  got  up  and  ran  to  her  mother 
as  if  she  feared  that  the  snake  was  after  her. 

After  Kipp  got  through  talking  about  the  size 
of  the  snake,  Thomas  said  that  he  thought  the  snake 
was  not  more  than  five  or  six  feet  long.  The  Mor- 
mon said  he  thought  that  that  was  nearer  right 
than  the  length  of  a  rail.  His  rails  were  eleven 
feet  long.  In  order  to  decide  the  matter,  they 
decided  to  take  the  dog  and  go  down  and  kill  the 
snake.  The  dog  was  not  long  in  finding  and  killing 
the  snake.  The  Mormon  took  out  his  rule  and  meas- 
ured the  snake.  To  the  great  surprise  of  Kipp,  it 


Colonel   Sarpy's  Indian    Wives 


Wild    Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

did  not  measure  quite  six  feet.  This  incident  merely 
shows  how  differently  people  see  things.  It  is  sel- 
dom if  ever  that  two  people  see  a  thing  just  alike, 
thought  each  is  perfectly  honest  in  the  way  he  sees  it. 
The  Mormons  who  lived  in  and  near  Bethlehem 
believed  in  polygamy  and  claimed  that  it  was  right 
according  to  scripture.  They  said  that  the  Bible 
spoke  in  different  places  of  woman  as  being  the 
glory  of  man.  Thus  the  more  women  a  man  had, 
the  more  glory.  There  was  -a  rule,  however,  in  the 
Mormon  Church  which  prohibited  a  poor  man  from 
having  more  than  one  wife.  He  had  to  be  contented, 
therefore,  with  less  glory  than  the  rich  man  or  the 
officers  in  the  church. 


35 


CHAPTER  V 

SWEET  BETSY  OF  PIKE 

There  was  a  story  told  of  a  Mormon  Elder  who 
wanted  more  glory  and  tried  to  get  a  young  man's 
sweetheart  away  from  him.  The  young  people  were 
on  their  way  to  California  with  a  company  of  immi- 
grants. They  stopped  in  Bethlehem  a  short  time 
before  starting  on  their  way  across  the  plains.  A 
young  doctor  living  in  Bethlehem  at  the  time  wrote 
a  few  lines  about  the  episode  which  will  tell  how 
nearly  the  Elder  succeeded  in  getting  more  glory. 
The  following  is  a  part  of  what  he  wrote: 

"  Sweet  Betsy  of  Missouri  and  County  of  Pike 
Crossed  the  great  plains  with  her  dear  lover  Ike. 
They  stopped  in  ^Bethlehem  on  their  way; 
A  Mormon  Elder  saw  sweet  Betsy  and  wanted  her 

to  stay. 

Sweet  Betsy  took  fright  and  ran  like  a  deer 
And  left  the  Elder  bowing  and  scraping  and  acting 

very  queer 
For  there  was  a  feeling  'round  his  heart  that  gave 

him  pain 
When  he  realized  his  trying  for  more  glory  was 

labor  spent  in  vain." 

36 


Wild    Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

Kipp  and  Thomas  worked  in  Bethlehem  during 
the  summer  and  a  part  of  the  fall  and  helped  in  the 
building  of  a  town  which  in  a  few  years  became 
a  prosperous  city.  Bethlehem  was  like  the  other 
Mormon  towns,  Coonville  'and  Caneville  in  that 
when  when  the  Mormons  left  and  the  country  set- 
tled up  the  towns  received  other  names. 

Late  in  the  fall  Thomas  noticed  that  Kipp  often 
talked  of  home,  home  folks,  and  the  girl  that  he 
had  left  behind  him.  He  thought  that  his  talk  was 
merely  a  symptom  of  homesickness  and  would  soon 
wear  off.  A  short  time  afterwards  he  noticed  that 
Kipp  did  not  seem  to  have  much  appetite  for  his 
breakfast.  Moreover,  he  had  very  little  to  say,  which 
was  very  unusual.  As  Thomas  was  standing  in  the 
hall  after  breakfast.  Kipp  came  along,  tapped  him 
on  the  shoulder,  and  said,  "I  wish  to  speak  to  you." 
Thomas  followed  him  out  to  the  sidewalk.  Kipp 
turned  and  said : 

"I  am  tired  of  the  west  and  the  western  life,  and 
I  am  going  home." 

"Are  you  in  earnest  or  are  you  joking?"  said 
Thomas. 

"I  mean  it.  I  was  down  at  the  postoffice  last 
night  and  heard  someone  say  that  the  John  Warner 
is  expected  down  the  river  today.  If  she  comes  I 
will  go  to  St.  Louis  on  her.  There  I  will  take  a 
boat  for  Cincinnati,  and  from  there  I  will  go  home 
on  the  cars." 

The  John  Warner  was  the  name  of  a  steamboat 

37 


Wild    Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountain* 

built  and  owned  by  the  captain  who  gave  the  boat 
his  name. 

"This  is  very  sudden,"  remarked  Thomas.  "Why 
did  you  not  say  something  about  it  before?" 

"I  hated  to.  I  did  not  know  until  last  night  that 
I  would  go  for  certain." 

"I  expected  you  to  go  west  with  me  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  where  we  would  stand  a  chance  of  mak- 
ing something  for  ourselves,"  answered  Thomas. 

"I  am  as  far  west  now,"  said  Kipp,  "as  I  ever 
want  to  be.  I  could  not  think  of  going  seven  or 
eight  hundred  miles  farther  west  beyond  civiliza- 
tion and  mail  communication." 

Here  the  conversation  was  brought  to  a  close  by 
the  sound  of  a  large,  coarse  whistle  such  as  steam- 
boats make  when  nearing  a  landing.  Looking  up 
the  river  they  saw  clouds  of  smoke  circling  in  the 
air  and  beneath  was  a  steamboat  coming  down  the 
river.  As  the  boat  came  nearer  Kipp  read  aloud 
the  name  "John  Warner"  which  was  painted  in 
large  gilt  letters  on  the  side  of  the  boat.  He  seemed 
pleased  with  the  name,  although  a  boat  by  any  other 
name  would  have  suited  his  purpose  just  as  well. 
Securing  his  satchel,  which  he  had  packed  the  night 
before,  the  two  friends  walked  down  to  the  land- 
ing two  blocks  away.  When  they  arrived  at  the 
landing  a  large  number  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren were  there  and  more  coming.  Such  was  always 
the  case  when  a  steamboat  made  a  landing,  since 

38 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

there  were  few  boats  on  the  upper  Missouri  river  at 
that  time. 

The  boat  drew  up  to  the  landing,  the  gangplank 
was  thrown  out,  a  few  passengers  disembarked,  and 
some  freight  was  unloaded.  Kipp  shook  hands  with 
Thomas,  wishing  him  good  luck  while  he  was  in 
the  west  and  hoping  that  he  would  get  gold  enough 
when  he  went  to  the  gold  region  to  make  good  his 
vow  when  he  returned.  Thomas  thanked  him  and 
wished  him  a  safe  journey  home.  A  large  number 
of  men  and  women  from  Bethlehem  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  also  embarked  to  go  down  to  the 
next  landing  where  two  days  of  horse-racing  was  to 
come  off.  As  soon  as  all  were  on  board,  the  bell 
commenced  ringing  and  the  words  "All  'abroad'7 
were  called  out.  The  gangplank  was  drawn  in  and 
the  boat  moved  slowly  out  into  the  swift  current 
and  steamed  down  stream. 

Thomas  watched  the  boat  until  it  passed  around 
a  bend  in  the  river.  Just  before  the  boat  passed 
around  the  bend,  Kipp  came  out  on  the  upper  deck 
•and  waved  his  hat.  Thomas  and  those  standing 
near  him  waved  in  return.  As  the  boat  passed 
around  the  bend  and  disappeared,  Kipp  was  last 
seen  waving  his  hat.  Thomas  imagined  that  he 
was  singing,  "I  am  going  home,  going  home,  never 
more  to  roam.  Home,  home,  sweet,  sweet  home,  there 
is  no  place  like  home."  A  month  later  Thomas 
received  a  letter  from  him  stating  that  he  had 
arrived  safely  after  a  very  pleasant  trip  to  find  the 

39 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

Beech  Woods  people  well  and  prospering.  He  -also 
stated  that  he  was  married  to  the  girl  that  he 
had  left  -behind  him  and  that  they  were  living  in 
Dialton,  where  he  had  been  hired  to  teach  the  town 
school. 


40 


CHAPTER  VI 
A  WILD  WEST  GIRL 

Thomas  returned  to  the  Pilgrim  House  after  the 
departure  of  his  friend,  intending  to  answer  some 
letters  that  he  had  received  the  day  previous.  He 
soon  found,  however  that  he  was  not  in  the  mood 
to  write  letters.  So  he  went  out  in  front  and  took 
a  seat  under  the  awning.  While  sitting  there  his 
mind  wandered  back  to  his  old  home.  He  thought 
of  home  folks  and  of  the  many  pleasant  times  that 
he  had  had  while  there  in  attending  basket  meetings, 
Sunday-school  celebrations,  and  various  other  meet- 
ings held  for  pleasure  or  profit.  Then  he  thought  of 
his  present  situation.  He  was  eight  hundred  miles 
from  his  old  home ;  his  partner  had  left  him  to  go 
on  alone  into  a  strange  country.  He  thought  of  the 
future  danger  and  trouble  that  might  be  awaiting 
him  alone  and  among  strangers. 

While  thus  musing,  he  heard  loud  talking,  and, 
on  looking  up,  he  noticed  that  some  men  in  the 
street  in  front  of  him  were  looking  in  a  western  direc- 
tion and  seemed  quite  excited.  He  arose  and  moved 
out  to  where  they  were  standing.  He  then  noticed 
a  cloud  of  dust  arising  from  behind  a  hill  on  the 
road  about  a  mile  west  of  town.  He  soon  discovered 
that  it  was  caused  by  a  large  ox-train  of  covered 

41 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

wagons.  A  woman  riding  at  full  speed  led  the  train. 
Arriving  near  town,  she  left  the  road  and  rode  to  a 
grove  of  timber  and  through  it  to  a  small  creek. 
After  inspecting  the  creek,  she  rode  back  nearly  to 
the  road.  She  stopped  on  ;a  level  piece  of  ground. 
When  the  train  arrived,  it  divided  into  two  sec- 
tions, each  section  forming  a  half  circle  around  the 
woman  on  horseback,  thus  forming  a  complete  circle 
of  wagons  with  the  woman  in  the  center. 

It  was  now  evident  that  the  newcomers  were  going 
into  camp.  Consequently  there  was  much  excite- 
ment in  town.  Men  and  women  rushed  into  the 
street  all  wondering  who  they  could  be  and  where 
they  were  from,  for  it  was  seldom  if  ever  that  such 
a  large  train  came  in  from  the  west.  A  large  num- 
ber, including  Thomas,  started  for  the  camp.  They 
found  everyone  busy,  each  having  a  task  and  doing 
it.  Some  of  the  men  were  unyoking  the  oxen  and 
staking  them  out;  some  were  carrying  wood  and 
water,  while  others  were  erecting  tents.  The  women 
were  busily  engaged  in  preparing  the  noonday  meal. 

The  woman  who  had  come  on  horseback  walked 
up  to  where  they  were  standing  and  saluted  them 
saying : 

"I  hope  that  we  are  not  intruding  or  trespassing 
on  any  one's  rights." 

Someone  in  the  party  replied  that  they  thought 
that  they  were  not,  as  the  land  belonged  to  a  rich 
speculator  who  did  not  live  there.  And  that  the 
land  had  been  used  for  camping  purposes. 


<£ 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

6 1 Then,"  she  said,  "with  the  consent  of  the  good 
people  of  this  town,  we  will  remain  here  for  an 
indefinite  period  and  form  an  addition  which  we 
will  call  Paradise." 

With  those  few  wrords  she  passed  on  in  her  inspec- 
tion of  all  parts  of  the  camp.  She  was  a  tall, 
slender  brunette  with  piercing  black  eyes  and  black 
hair  worn  cropped  rather  short,  not  quite  reaching 
her  shoulders.  She  impressed  one  as  being  up  in 
the  twenties  in  years. 

Thomas  noticed  a  young  man  near  who  seemed 
to  be  more  stationary  than  the  rest.  He  was  at  the 
hind  end  of  a  wagon  skinning  an  antelope.  Thomas 
entered  into  conversation  writh  him  and  found  him 
to  be  of  a  friendly  turn.  He  related  that  they  were 
Mormons  from  Utah  who  were  tired  of  Mormonism 
and  Brigham  Young  as  a  ruler  and  teacher.  They 
had,  therefore,  come  back  to  God's  country  to  seek 
new  homes  near  the  Missouri  Eiver.  Their  train 
numbered  twenty-two  wagons  and  there  were  over 
a  hundred  persons  that  belonged  to  the  train.  He 
also  said  that  the  woman  that  had  just  passed  was 
the  Captain,  so  chosen  because  she  was  a  hunter, 
trapper,  and  horseback  rider.  She  had  been  in  many 
skirmishes  and  battles  with  the  Indians  near  Salt 
Lake  City.  As  soon  as  she  took  command  of  the 
train  she  divided  it  into  two  sections,  eleven  wagons 
in  each  section.  The  wagons  were  all  numbered 
and  every  wagon  was  in  the  same  place  in  the  train 
that  day  that  they  had  been  when  they  started. 

45 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

She  selected  six  young  men  to  do  the  hunting  for 
the  train.  They  were  exempt  from  camp  duty  and 
hunted  on  alternate  days,  three  each  day.  They 
furnished  the  train  with  fresh  meat  during  the  entire 
trip  of  seventy-two  days.  The  meat  consisted  of 
bear,  mountain  sheep,  deer,  buffalo,  and  antelope. 
The  kill  each  day  was  divided  into  twenty-two  parts, 
according  to  the  number  belonging  to  each  wagon. 
Thomas  asked  him  if  he  had  heard  anything  of 
gold  being  discovered  in  the  mountains  as  they  came 
through.  He  replied  that  they  had  met  a  company 
of  prospectors  in  the  Medicine  Boy  Mountains,  who 
told  them  that  gold  had  been  discovered  a  hundred 
miles  south  of  there  in  paying  quantities  and  that 
a  part  of  their  company  were  mining  there  while 
these  others  were  hunting  for  new  diggings. 


CHAPTER  VII 

NONESUCH  PUFFENBERGER  LEARNS  THE  SNAKE 
DANCE — A  WILD  WEST  SCHOOL  TAMED 

When  Thomas  returned  to  the  hotel,  he  found  Mr. 
Fimple,  the  school  director,  there  awaiting  his  return. 
He  had  come  to  see  if  he  could  hire  Thomas  to 
teach  the  Bethlehem  school.  He  wanted  a  teacher 
with  experience.  He  said  that  the  last  teacher  he 
had  hired  was  a  young  man  from  Missouri  with- 
out experience.  Consequently  he  had  made  a  fail- 
ure. He  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  keep  order 
and  the  pupils  did  just  as  they  pleased,  reciting 
when  they  saw  fit.  Some  of  them  would  dance 
in  time  of  school.  If  any  of  them  had  occasion  to 
go  out  they  would  not  go  out  the  door,  but  would 
raise  the  nearest  window  and  hop  out.  They  both- 
ered the  teacher  and  worried  him  to  such  an  extent 
that  he  went  out  in  front  of  the  schoolhouse  one  day 
and  shot  himself  in  the  head  with  an  Allen  revolver. 
So  they  were  out  of  a  teacher  for  the  remainder  of 
the  term.  He  said  that  some  of  the  pupils  were 
half-breed  Indians  and  hard  to  control.  Thomas 
remarked  when  he  got  through  with  the  pedigree 
of  the  school  that  he  evidently  wanted  a  master  as 
well  as  a  teacher.  Thomas  told  him  the  terms  for 
which  he  would  agree  to  take  the  school  and  run 
the  risk  of  controlling  the  pupils,  breed  and  half- 

47 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

breed.  Mr.  Pimple  handed  him  the  key  to  the  school- 
house  and  told  him  that  he  could  consider  himself 
hired  for  the  fall  and  winter  term;  school  to  com- 
mence the  following  Monday  morning. 

The  schoolhouse  was  built  outside  of  the  town 
limits.  The  building  was  a  one-story  frame,  boarded 
up  and  down  and  painted  red.  It  looked  more  like 
a  barn  than  a  schoolhouse.  It  was  almost  surrounded 
by  small  timber  and  brush.  Thomas  arrived  at  the 
schoolhouse  on  Monday  morning  an  hour  before  time 
to  take  up  school.  Unlocking  the  door,  he  went  in 
and  found  the  inside  in  much  better  condition  than 
he  expected.  The  walls  were  plastered  and  smooth 
and  the  woodwork  was  painted.  There  was  a  row 
of  seats  along  the  wall  on  two  sides  and  half  way 
across  the  back  end.  Seats  for  the  small  pupils  were 
arranged  in  front  of  the  desks  of  the  larger  pupils. 
The  blackboard  and  teacher's  desk  occupied  the  space 
at  the  end  of  the  room  not  occupied  by  seats.  At 
the  front  end  of  the  room  on  either  side  of  the  door 
were  shelves  and  hooks  for  wraps  and  dinner  pails. 
In  the  center  of  the  room  stood  a  large  wood  stove. 

After  making  a  careful  survey  of  the  room,  the 
question  as  to  how  he  was  to  commence  and  control 
the  school  arose  in  the  new  teacher's  mind.  He 
thought  of  Mr.  Pimple's  pedigree  of  the  pupils  and 
reflected  that  he  was  expected  to  control  and  teach 
unruly  boys  and  girls.  In  order  to  do  so,  would  it 
not  be  lawful,  right  and  proper  to  punish  for  bad 
behavior?  He,  therefore,  went  out  to  the  grove  and 

48 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

cut  two  long,  slim  leatherwood  switches,  took  them 
in  and  laid  them  on  one  of  the  top  shelves. 

By  this  time  the  pupils  commenced  to  come  in. 
He  had  them  take  seats  at  once  in  order  that  they 
might  not  get  together  on  the  outside  to  make  plans. 
The  room  was  soon  filled  with  young  people  of  various 
sizes  and  ages,  ranging  from  six  years  to  sixteen. 
He  ordered  them  to  get  out  their  books;  then  took 
a  memorandum  book  from  his  side  pocket  and  com- 
menced taking  their  names.  They  all  gave  their 
names  in  full  with  a  single  exception.  The  largest 
boy  in  school,  a  half-breed  Indian  boy,  gave  his  on 
the  installment  plan.  When  asked  his  name,  he 
answered,  "Nonesuch,"  and  hesitated. 

"What  else?"  asked  Thomas. 

"Poosey." 

"Is  that  all?" 

"Is  that  not  enough?"  he  replied. 

Thomas  said,  "It  is  enough  if  it  is  your  full  name. 
I  want  your  full  name." 

"If  that  is  what  you  want,  my  full  name  is  None- 
such Papoosey  Puff enberger. " 

As  soon  as  Thomas  got  through  taking  their  names 
he  commenced  arranging  them  in  classes,  which 
proved  no  easy  task,  due  to  the  fact  that  there  were 
so  many  different  kinds  of  books.  Webster's  Elemen- 
tary Spelling  Book  was  the  only  one  that  most  of 
them  had  in  common. 

This  task  being  completed,  he  stepped  to  the  desk 
and  told  them  that  he  had  been  hired  by  Mr.  Fimple 
to  teach  the  fall  and  winter  terms  of  school,  which 

49 


Wild    Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

he  intended  to  do.  And  he  wanted  it  understood 
from  the  beginning  that  he  intended  to  be  master 
as  well  as  teacher.  At  these  words,  ten  or  a  dozen  of 
the  larger  boys  and  girls  made  a  noise  clearing  their 
throats  ending  with  a  half  grunt  or  cough.  This  they 
did  several  times.  Thomas  tapped  on  the  desk  and  told 
them  that  if  they  did  not  stop  that  noise  then  and 
there  they  would  be  in  trouble.  They  all  remained 
silent  except  two  of  the  larger  boys,  one  of  them  a 
brother  to  "Nonesuch."  Thomas  told  them  to  come 
out  on  the  floor  and  asked  them  if  they  had  throat 
trouble.  They  both  answered  in  unison: 
"That's  what,  that's  what  ails  the  purp." 
Thomas  told  them  that  he  had  a  remedy  for  their 
kind  of  throat  trouble.  He  went  to  the  desk,  took 
down  one  of  his  regulators  and  gave  them  each  a 
severe  dose.  He  then  gave  them  permission  to  take 
their  seats  and  told  them  that  if  it  were  not  a  cure 
he  would  give  them  another  dose,  perhaps  a  double 
one.  It  was  a  complete  cure,  however,  and  there 
was  no  more  throat  trouble  of  that  kind  during  the 
two  terms. 

Thomas  then  took  a  position  at  the  front  end  of 
the  room  where  he  could  see  almost  every  move  the 
pupils  made.  He  paid  very  little  attention  to  recita- 
tions, hearing  only  a  few  of  the  smaller  ones  during 
the  forenoon.  His  main  object  was  to  get  control 
and  teach  the  pupils  to  be  obedient  and  attentive 
to  their  books.  He  had  to  use  his  regulator  several 
times  in  order  to  do  so.  It  was  very  nearly  time  to 
dismiss  when  he  noticed  that  None  Such  had  his 

50 


Nonsuch    Taking   a   Dancing    Lesson 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

head  down  behind  his  desk.  He  said  nothing,  but 
kept  watch.  Nonesuch  soon  raised  his  head  to 
look  over  the  top  of  his  desk.  In  doing  so  he  exposed 
a  round  black  spot  on  his  forehead  made  with  the 
cork  of  his  ink  bottle.  Thomas  called  him  out  on 
the  floor.  His  face  presented  a  mottled  appearance. 
In  addition  to  the  spot  on  his  forehead,  there  were 
spots  on  his  cheeks,  nose  and  chin,  and  a  black  streak 
along  the  bridge  of  his  nose.  Thomas  asked  him  why 
he  had  disfigured  himself  in  that  manner. 

He  answered  gruffly,  "Because  I  wanted  to.  I 
painted  myself  for  a  snake  dance." 

"Did  you  intend  to  dance  in  time  of  school?"  asked 
the  teacher. 

"Yes,"  he  replied.  "Barton  Fimple  and  I  danced 
during  the  last  term  whenever  we  wished." 

"You  had  better  not  take  a  notion  to  do  so  while 
I  am  teaching  here,"  said  Thomas.  "Dancing  is 
not  a  branch  that  I  am  required  to  teach,  nor  do  I 
profess  to  know  much  about  it.  The  lessons  that  I 
would  give  might  not  be  pleasant  and  agreeable.  As 
you  are  painted  for  a  snake  dance,  however,  I  may 
as  well  give  you  the  first  lesson." 

He  then  used  his  regulator  on  and  around  his  legs 
which  caused  him  to  dance,  the  spots  on  his  face 
keeping  tally  with  his  feet.  As  soon  as  the  boy  got 
through  dancing,  Thomas  told  him  to  go  home  and 
wash  his  face.  He  opened  the  door  and  started  him 
home  and  saw  no  more  of  him  that  day.  Thomas 
was  much  encouraged  by  the  time  that  school  was 
out  for  the  day.  He  noticed  such  a  difference  in 

53 


Wild    Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

the  behavior  of  the  pupils  in  the  afternoon  from 
that  in  the  forenoon  it  seemed  a  different  school; 
they  were  all  so  quiet  and  attentive  to  their  books. 

The  next  morning  all  of  the  pupils,  including  None- 
such and  a  number  of  new  ones,  were  in  their  seats 
promptly.  Thomas  was  engaged  in  taking  the  names 
of  the  new  ones  and  arranging  them  in  classes,  when 
there  came  a  knock  at  the  door.  The  teacher  opened 
the  door,  to  find  Mr.  Fimple,  the  director,  standing 
there.  Thomas  invited  him  in,  but  he  shook  his  head 
and  motioned  for  him  to  come  out.  Thomas,  there- 
fore, stepped  out  and  closed  the  door.  Mr.  Fimple 
had  an  impediment  in  his  speech.  He  always  had 
to  give  two  or  three  grunts  before  he  could  get  his 
mouth  in  working  order.  After  the  usual  preliminary 
grunts,  he  said: 

"I  have  come  to  speak  a  few  words  to  you  about 
the  school.  And  what  I  have  to  say  had  better  be 
said  outside  of  the  schoolroom.  From  what  I  have 
heard,  I  am  afraid  that  you  are  going  to  be  too 
severe  and  cross  with  the  young  people/' 

Thomas  looked  at  him  and  said,  "When  you  hired 
me  did  you  not  tell  me  that  you  wanted  a  teacher 
with  experience  ? ' ' 

"I  did." 

"Well,"  Thomas  replied,  "some  of  the  pupils  have 
been  getting  the  experience." 

"I  heard  in  town  this  morning,"  Fimple  returned, 
"that  you  had  whipped  half  of  the  school  yester- 
day." 

54 


Wild    Life    in    the    Hooky    Mountains 

"What  you  heard  was  not  true/'  said  Thomas, 
"but  I  would  have  done  so  if  I  could  not  have  gained 
control  and  managed  the  pupils  any  other  way.  I 
do  not  punish  for  pleasure  and  do  not  believe  in  it 
except  in  extreme  cases.  Judging  from  the  pedigree 
that  you  gave  the  school  and  from  what  I  learned 
when  I  took  up  the  school  yesterday  morning,  I 
deemed  it  necessary  to  begin  rather  severely  in  order 
to  convince  them  that  I  intended  to  be  master  as 
well  as  teacher.  From  the  way  they  behave  this 
morning,  I  do  not  anticipate  having  any  more  trouble. 
They  are  all  quiet  and  attentive  to  their  books. " 

"I  hope  that  you  are  right/'  Mr.  Fimple  said, 
"and  that  you  will  have  better  success  than  the  last 
teacher  had.  Good-by." 

His  prediction  to  the  director  proved  true.  He 
had  very  little  difficulty  during  the  entire  term  that 
he  taught.  The  pupils  proved  obedient  and  attentive 
to  their  books.  The  most  of  them  made  rapid  prog- 
ress in  their  studies.  He  closed  his  term  with  an 
enrollment  of  sixty  and  an  average  attendance  of 
fifty. 

The  last  day  of  school  they  had  an  entertainment 
at  night,  in  which  nearly  all  of  the  pupils  took  part 
either  in  declamation  or  dialogue,  acquitting  them- 
selves with  credit.  The  exercises  of  the  evening 
closed  with  music  by  the  Bethlehem  String  Band 
and,  to  the  amusement  of  all  present,  a  war  song  and 
snake  dance  by  Nonesuch.  Mr.  Fimple  was  there 
and  made  a  few  remarks.  Among  other  things,  he 

55 


Wild    Life   in    tlie   Rocky    Mountains 

said  that  he  was  well  pleased  with  the  way  that  the 
school  had  been  conducted  and  taught.  And  that 
he  believed  that  such  was  the  sentiment  of  the  patrons 
of  the  school.  He  also  said  that  at  the  beginning  of 
the  term  he  and  several  others  had  thought  that  the 
teacher  was  going  to  be  too  severe  with  the  pupils, 
but  that  he  soon  found  out  that  the  teacher  had 
the  correct  method  of  conducting  a  school  in  order 
to  determine  who  was  to  be  master.  He  closed  by 
offering  Thomas  the  school  for  the  next  term.  Thomas 
thanked  him  for  the  offer  and  said  that  if  he  were 
not  intending  to  leave  soon  and  were  going  to  stay 
and  teach,  he  would  not  ask  for  a  better  school  than 
the  Bethlehem  School. 


56 


CHAPTER  VIII 

ACROSS  THE  GREAT  FLAINS — FORT  KEARNEY  TO 

DENVER — GOLD  DISCOVERED  ON  CHERRY 

CREEK 

Early  in  the  spring  three  young  men  with  a  prairie 
schooner  and  a  mule  team  arrived  in  Bethlehem. 
They  had  come  early  in  order  to  start  with  the  first 
train  that  left  for  the  gold  regions.  It  was  such  a 
cold  and  backward  spring  that  grass  of  a  sufficient 
growth  for  stock  to  subsist  upon  did  not  appear  early. 
It  was  the  second  day  of  May,  therefore,  before  the 
first  train  left  Bethlehem  for  the  gold  region,  which 
was  two  or  three  weeks  after  it  was  supposed  to 
start.  The  three  young  men,  while  waiting  for  the 
train  to  start,  camped  on  the  same  ground  that  the 
Mormons  had  occupied  the  fall  previous.  Thomas 
visited  their  camp  and  became  acquainted  with  the 
young  men.  He  agreed  to  join  their  party  and  go 
with  them  to  hunt  for  gold  in  the  mountains. 

Redmond,  one  of  the  young  men,  was  without  a 
partner.  Thomas  took  him  for  a  partner.  It  was 
necessary  for  everyone  traveling  or  prospecting  in 
the  mountains  to  have  a  partner  to  help  carry  the 
camping  outfit  from  one  place  to  another.  Pack 
animals  were  not  used  except  for  traveling  long  dis- 
tances. The  camping  outfit  consisted  of  bedding, 
cooking  utensils,  grub,  pick,  shovel,  and  prospecting 

57 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

pan.  With  the  exception  of  grub,  the  articles  neces- 
sary for  one  answered  the  same  purpose  for  two 
or  more.  In  traveling  in  "the  mountains  each  one 
had  a  certain  part  of  the  camp  work  to  do  and  did 
it  if  he  expected  to  stay  with  the  outfit.  The  camp 
work  consisted  in  taking  care  of  the  stock,  getting 
wood  and  water,  cooking,  and  other  minor  things. 

Everyone  traveling  on  the  plains  or  in  the  moun- 
tains was  known  by  his  surname.  It  was  Jones, 
Smith,  Miller,  etc.  One  was  seldom  known  by  his 
given  name,  but  frequently  had  a  nickname,  such  as 
Valley  Sam,  Kentucky,  Windy,  or  Leather  Breeches. 

When  the  emigrants  first  commenced  going  over- 
land to  Oregon,  California,  and  different  parts  of 
the  Eocky  Mountains,  all  of  the  country  between 
the  Missouri  Eiver  and  the  mountains  was  considered 
the  plains.  The  eastern  half  was  covered  with  vege- 
tation, tall  grass  and  some  timber ;  the  western  coun- 
try was  a  sandy,  barren  country  most  of  the  way 
with  the  exception  of  the  Platte  Eiver  bottom,  which 
was  from  two  to  ten  miles  wide  and  which  afforded 
grass  for  the  emigrants'  stock.  There  was  very  little 
timber  on  the  western  half  of  the  palins  except  near 
the  mountains.  There  was  one  stretch  of  the  way 
without  a  stick  of  timber  large  enough  for  a  walking 
stick.  Emigrants  going  over  that  part  of  the  route 
were  obliged  to  haul  wood  to  be  used  in  camp  or 
to  burn  buffalo  chips.  Buffalo  chips  made  a  hot  fire 
when  not  damp.  Every  day,  before  going  into  camp, 
the  chip  gatherers  were  to  be  seen  gathering  chips 

58 


Wild    Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

for  the  camp  fire.     They  always  kept  several  sacks 
in  the  wagon  to  be  used  in  case  of  damp  weather. 

The  animals  most  seen  on  the  plains  were  the 
buffalo,  antelope,  and  prairie  dog.  The  prairie  dog 
is  a  small  animal  a  little  larger  than  a  gopher.  They 
always  live  in  communities  or  prairie  dog  towns,  as 
they  are  called.  Their  habitations  were  made  by  bur- 
rowing in  the  ground  and  throwing  up  a  mound  of 
dirt  a  foot  or  more  in  height,  with  a  hole  at  the  top. 
Their  habitations  are  near  each  other  and  often  cover 
several  acres  of  ground.  A  small  bird  or  owl  lived 
in  the  same  abode.  It  has  also  been  said  rattlesnakes 
live  with  them. 

The  buffalo  was  seldom  seen  except  when  they  were 
migrating,  which  they  did  twice  a  year,  going  north 
in  the  spring  and  early  summer  and  returning  south 
in  the  fall.  At  these  times  they  often  traveled  in 
large  herds,  a  single  herd  often  numbering  several 
thousand.  When  one  of  these  herds  passed  a  train 
large  numbers  were  shot  for  mere  sport  and  the 
carcasses  left  lying  on  the  ground  untouched  or  just 
skinned.  The  antelope  in  herds  ranging  from  two 
to  twenty  were  seen  daily.  They  were  easily  decoyed 
and  shot. 

The  Platte  Valley  route  was  considered  the  best 
route  to  cross  the  plains.  The  road  was  hard  and 
smooth  and  ran  along  the  Platte  River  the  entire 
distance  of  six  hundred  miles.  Thus  the  emigrant 
could  camp  near  the  river  the  entire  distance,  where 
he  would  always  be  sure  of  water  and  grass,  two 

59 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

of  the  main  things  necessary  in  traveling,  the  other 
being  wood. 

There  were  two  things  noticed  by  all  emigrants  in 
crossing  the  plains.  One  was  the  number  of  graves 
seen  on  the  route.  The  emigrant  was  seldom  out 
of  sight  of  one  or  more  graves.  The  most  of  them 
were  marked  by  some  iron  substance,  such  as  a 
camp  kettle,  coffee  boiler,  or  sheet  iron  pan.  These 
articles  had  been  rendered  useless,  filled  with  sand 
or  gravel,  and  placed  on  the  grave.  Boards  were  sel- 
dom used,  perhaps  for  fear  that  they  would  be  taken 
and  burned. 

The  other  most  noteworthy  thing  was  the  eternal 
sameness  of  the  country.  The  emigrant  traveled  over 
a  treeless  plain  and  along  the  Platte  Eiver  with  its 
never-changing  broad  channel  filled  with  sandbars. 
It  seemed  to  him  every  day  that  he  was  traveling 
over  the  same  country  that  he  had  been  traveling 
over  for  days  and  weeks  past.  Indians  were  seen  and 
met  daily,  which  is  always  a  good  sign  of  peace  and 
safety.  When  the  Indian  is  on  the  warpath  he  is 
never  seen  until  he  makes  an  attack. 

At  the  time  that  Thomas,  Redmond  and  party  were 
crossing  the  plains  the  tribes  most  frequently  encoun- 
tered were  the  Pawnee,  Sioux,  and  Cheyenne.  They 
were  all  friendly,  and  seldom,  if  ever,  stole  anything 
from  the  train.  They  were  very  good,  however,  at 
begging  any  small  thing  that  they  happened  to  fancy. 
Whenever  they  were  met  on  the  road  or  in  camp 
they  always  saluted  with  a  "How,''  and  their  next 
words  invariably  were  "tobacco  and  matches."  These 

60 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

three  were  among  the  few  that  they  spoke  in  good 
English.  They  always  seemed  satisfied  if  they 
received  a  pipeful  or  two  of  smoking  tobacco  and  a 
few  matches.  This,  of  course,  would  not  be  much  for 
the  emigrant  to  give  if  they  were  not  asked  more 
than  twenty  times  a  day  by  different  parties. 

Whenever  the  Indians  decided  to  move  from  one 
camp  to  another,  they  always  moved  everything 
belonging  to  the  camp  on  a  rig  drawn  by  a  pony. 
The  rig  was  of  their  own  construction.  Two  small, 
slim  poles  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  length,  the  smaller 
ends  of  which  answered  for  thills  or  shafts,  were 
fastened  to  a  harness  on  the  pony  which  was  made 
for  that  purpose.  Two  or  three  feet  back  of  the 
pony  were  ties  placed  across  the  poles  to  hold  them 
in  place.  A  sufficient  number  of  ties  were  used  to 
form  a  platform  large  enough  to  hold  what  they 
intended  to  move.  The  large  ends  of  the  poles  were 
flat  underneath  and  dragged  on  the  ground.  It  was 
surprising  what  a  large  load  of  plunder  a  single 
pony  could  draw  on  such  a  rig.  As  soon  as  the 
load  was  in  place,  the  squaw  would  mount  the  pony 
and  start  for  the  new  camping  place. 

Among  the  noted  places  of  interest  on  the  plains 
was  Fort  Kearney,  which  was  two  hundred  and  forty 
miles  from  the  Missouri  Eiver;  Cottonwood  Springs, 
Lillian  Springs,  the  half-way  house,  Fremont 
Slough,  0 'Fallen's  Bluff,  and  Fremont's  Orchard, 
the  latter  being  near  the  mountains.  The  half-way 
house,  so-called  because  it  was  considered  half  way 
across  the  plains,  was  the  only  permanent  house  on 

61 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

the  plains  except  at  Fort  Kearney.  It  was  built  and 
owned  by  Jack  Morrow.  The  lumber  for  the  build- 
ings was  hauled  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles. 
Jack  Morrow  was  a  French  Canadian  hunter,  trapper 
and  merchant.  He  kept  a  kind  of  a  variety  store 
of  such  things  as  the  emigrant  would  be  likely  to 
need.  It  was  the  only  place  on  the  plains  that  the 
emigrant  could  do  any  trading.  The  only  other  per- 
sons about  the  half-way  house  were  Indian  squaws, 
several  of  whom  were  his  wives. 

After  four  weeks  of  travel  on  the  plains,  Thomas, 
Redmond  and  party  arrived  at  Tarry  All,  a  mining 
town  located  on  Cherry  Creek  twelve  miles  from  the 
mountains.  Tarry  All  was  located  on  the  site  of 
the  first  gold  discovery  in  the  region,  afterwards 
known  as  the  Pike's  Peak  Gold  region.  The  dis- 
covery was  made  by  a  company  from  Georgia  com- 
posed of  California  and  Georgia  miners.  They  were 
on  their  way  to  prospect  for  gold  in  the  Eocky  Moun- 
tains. They  had  camped  on  Cherry  Creek  and  while 
there  some  of  the  Cherry  Creek  sand  was  panned 
out  and  found  to  contain  prospects  of  gold.  A  part 
of  the  company  remained  on  Cherry  Creek  and  com- 
menced mining.  They  laid  out  and  founded  the  town 
of  Tarry  All.  The  rest  of  the  party,  led  by  Russell 
and  Gregory,  went  into  the  mountains  and  made 
other  discoveries.  As  these  later  discoveries  were  late 
in  the  fall,  all  parties  wintered  in  Tarry  All. 

Immediately  upon  the  reception  of  the  news  that 
gold  had  been  discovered  along  Cherry  Creek  and 
in  the  mountains,  thousands  of  emigrants  from  all 

62 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

parts  of  the  States  set  out  to  hunt  for  gold  in  the 
mountains.  Tarry  All,  with  its  few  log  cabins  scat- 
tered along  Cherry  Creek,  soon  became  a  prosperous 
city.  The  name  Tarry  All  was  dropped  and  the  town 
was  renamed  Denver.  Tarry  All,  however,  seemed 
more  appropriate,  as  everyone  stopped  there,  if  not 
permanently,  after  crossing  the  plains  before  going 
on  into  the  mountains.  The  emigration  the  next  few 
years  was  so  large  that  the  city  of  Denver  increased 
very  rapidly  in  wealth  and  population,  soon  becoming 
the  headquarters  and  supply  point  for  all  of  the  min- 
ing camps  and  towns  in  the  mountains.  The  mines  on 
Cherry  Creek  proved  to  be  float  gold  and  surface 
diggings.  Thus  they  were  soon  worked  out  and  aban- 
doned for  other  and  richer  diggings.  Indeed,  they 
never  paid  much  more  than  wages  and  expenses. 

A  band  of  Indians  was  camped  near  Tarry  All. 
Thomas  and  Redmond  visited  their  camp  and  soon 
discovered  by  their  dress  and  moccasins  that  they 
were  of  a  different  tribe  than  those  they  had  met 
on  the  plains.  The  various  tribes  of  Indians  had 
different  modes  and  ways.  Each  tribe  had  >a  differ- 
ent and  distinctive  way  of  making  their  moccasins 
in  regard  to  the  placing  of  the  seam.  This  particu- 
lar tribe  proved  to  be  Arapahoe  Indians. 

Near  the  camp  was  a  grave  of  the  chief  of  the 
tribe.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  fifty-two 
pony  skulls.  It  is  customary  when  a  chief  or  war- 
rior dies  to  bury  his  arms  and  ornaments  and  other 
things  that  he  owns  in  the  grave  with  him.  His 
ponies  are  killed  that  he  may  have  them  as  well  as 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

those  things  that  are  buried  with  him  to  use  in  the 
Happy  Hunting  Ground.  It  was  the  custom  among 
some  tribes  of  Indians  to  wrap  their  dead  in  blankets, 
tie  them  in  poles  and  put  them  in  the  forks  of  trees 
or  across  the  limbs.  In  the  absence  of  trees,  a  scaf- 
fold ten  or  twelve  feet  high  was  built  and  poles  laid 
from  one  fork  of  the  scaffold  to  the  other  on  which 
the  bodies  were  placed. 


64 


Aw  Indian  Grave 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  BUCKSKIN  JOE  GOLD  MINES 

Immediately  upon  arriving  in  Tarry  All,  Thomas 
and  Redmond  heard  that  gold  mines  had  been  dis- 
covered in  the  Blue  River  country,  for  which  place 
they  started  after  remaining  but  two  days  in  Tarry 
All.  The  route  from  Cherry  Creek  to  Blue  River 
lay  over  mountains,  across  creeks  and  gulches,  and 
through  a  narrow  canyon  'between  two  ranges  of 
mountains  through  which  the  Platte  River  flowed. 
The  river  meandered  from  tone  side  of  the  canyon 
to  the  other,  thus  compelling  them  to  cross  it  five 
times.  They  were  six  days  in  reaching  their  des- 
tination. 

They  were  surprised  and  disappointed  upon  their 
arrival  in  the  Blue  River  country  at  the  prospect 
for  getting  gold.  Instead  of  hundreds  of  miners  at 
work  taking  out  quantities  of  gold  they  found  very 
little  work  being  done.  The  mining  ground  was 
all  along  the  Blue  River  bottom  and,  as  the  river 
was  up  due  to  the  melting  snow  in  the  mountains, 
many  of  the  claims  were  under  water.  Discourag- 
ing as  the  prospect  for  mining  appeared,  Thomas, 
Redmond  and  party  went  to  work  building  a  shanty. 
While  they  were  at  work,  a  stout,  heavily  built  man 
about  six  feet  tall  came  along  carrying  a  pick, 
shovel,  and  prospecting  pan.  His  beard  and  hair 

«7 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

were  mixed  with  gray.  He  wore  a  buckskin  suit 
and  cap.  His  talk  and  clothes  soon  revealed  him  to 
be  a  noted  mountaineer,  miner,  and  prospector,  who 
was  known  in  all  the  mining  camps  in  the  gold  belt 
as  Buckskin  Joe,  the  gold  wizard,  the  man  who  dis- 
covered the  rich  Buckskin  Joe  mines.  Buckskin 
Joe  was  a  natural  prospector  and  miner.  He  could 
tell  where  to  prospect  for  gold  by  the  formation 
and  lay  of  the  land  better  than  any  other  man  in 
the  gold  region.  His  services  and  judgment  were 
sought  for  in  all  of  the  mining  camps  in  the  gold 
region.  In  speaking  of  the  mining  districts  of  the 
Blue  River  country  he  mentioned  Galena  Gulch, 
Negro  Gulch,  and  Indian  Creek,  in  all  of  which  he 
had  been  the  means  of  discovering  gold. 

"The  gold  belt,"  he  remarked,  "is  fifty  miles 
wide  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  length, 
extending  in  a  northeast  and  southwest  direction. 
The  formation  is  granite  rock.  Gold  is  never  found 
in  a  sandstone  or  limestone  formation.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  bedrock,  granite  and  slate,  in  the  gold 
belt.  The  granite  very  often  proves  to  be  a  false 
bedrock,  only  a  few  feet  in  thickness  with  a  layer  of 
sand  and  gravel  several  feet  deep  between  the  two 
bedrocks.  Miners  are  frequently  fooled  by  this 
peculiar  formation;  and,  believing  that  they  have 
their  claim  all  worked  out,  sell  for  a  small  sum  or 
abandon  it  when  the  best  part  has  never  been 
touched." 

In  speaking  of  the  Blue  River  district,  he  said, 

68 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

"I  have  prospected  it  in  different  places  and  am 
fully  satisfied  that  it  is  not  a  poor  man's  diggings. 
I  have  found  very  few  places,  however,  near  the 
isurface  that  will  much  more  than  pay  expenses  of 
mining  and  wages.  The  gold  is  nearly  always  found 
in  or  near  bedrock,  which,  I  think,  lies  deep  in  the 
Blue  River  district.  It  will  take  much  labor  and 
capital,  therefore,  to  drain  and  work  the  claims. 
Most  of  the  work  will  necessarily  be  done  by  com- 
panies." As  he  started  away  he  turned  and  said, 
"It  will  not  make  much  difference  what  the  pros- 
pects for  getting  gold  in  Blue  River  district  are, 
as  it  is  reported  this  morning  that  the  Indians  are 
expected  up  tne  river  soon  to  kill  or  drive  the  miners 
out  of  the  country." 

Jones  and  Ashley  both  thought  that  his  talk  had 
been  rather  discouraging. 

Redmond,  however,  said,  "Buckskin  Joe's  talk 
and  his  Indian  scare  will  not  discourage  me.  I  have 
come  to  stay." 

Then  Thomas  remarked,  "He  knew  that  we  were 
pilgrims  and  perhaps  his  talk  was  for  the  purpose 
of  initiating  us  into  the  mysteries  of  gold  mining 
and  to  prepare  us  for  the  failures  and  disappoint- 
ments of  a  miner's  life." 


69 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  INDIANS  ARE  COMING 

Buckskin  Joe  was  scarcely  out  of  sight  when  a 
miner  came  running  through  the  camp  yelling  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  i '  Indians !  Indians !  The  In- 
dians are  coming!  Get  your  arms  and  go  to  the 
Breckenridge  Cabins."  The  Breckenridge  Cabins, 
eight  in  number,  were  at  the  lower  end  of  the  dis- 
trict. They  were  built  in  the  form  of  a  square,  two 
on  each  side  and  joined  together  so  that  they  could 
be  used  as  a  fort  if  necessary.  Before  all  of  the 
miners  had  reached  the  cabins,  large  numbers  of 
Indians  were  seen  coming  along  the  river  bottom. 
As  far  as  eye  could  see  down  the  river  they  wrere 
coming.  They  were  all  mounted  on  ponies,  had  their 
war  paint  on,  and  were  armed  with  rifles.  They 
were  coming  at  a  slow  pace,  however,  Which  was  an 
indication  that  their  coming  rsvas  not  of  hostile 
intent.  There  were  four  riding  a  short  distance  in 
front.  As  these  four  arrived  opposite  the  cabins, 
they  left  the  trail  and  rode  up  in  front  of  the  cabins. 
They  proved  to  be  the  three  chiefs  of  the  band  and 
a  young  Frenchman  who  acted  as  interpreter.  He 
said  that  the  chief  of  the  band  desired  him  to  say 
that  their  coming  through  the  Americans '  camp  was 
of  a  peaceful  nature  and  not  for  the  purpose  of 
interfering  with  the  Americans'  work.  He  added 

70 


The  Indians  Are  Coming 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

that  the  chief  desired  him  to  say  that  his  tribe  had 
always  been  on  friendly  terms  with  the  white 
men  and  that  he  hoped  the  friendship  would  always 
exist.  At  these  words  the  miners  gave  three  loud 
cheers  which  seemed  to  please  the  three  chiefs 
greatly.  They  gave  in  return  a  loud  whoop  and 
three  yells.  The  Frenchman  said  that  they  were 
a  war  party  numbering  six  hundred  warriors  belong- 
ing to  the  Ute  tribe;  that  they  were  on  their  way 
to  South  Park,  which  was  disputed  territory  between 
the  Arapahoe  and  Ute  tribes.  Blue  Sky,  the  chief 
of  the  band,  was  going  over  to  give  the  Arapahoes 
battle  in  order  to  decide  which  of  the  two  tribes  was 
to  be  the  owner  of  the  rich  hunting  grounds  of  the 
South  Park  and  the  surrounding  mountain  country. 

During  the  time  that  the  interpreter  was  talking, 
the  warriors  continued  to  pass,  looking  much  like 
a  moving  panorama  over  a  mile  in  length.  Follow- 
ing along  behind  were  several  hundred  goats  and 
a  number  of  ponies  loaded  with  the  camping  out- 
fit. Forty  or  fifty  Indian  boys  mounted  on  ponies 
and  armed  with  bows  and  arrows  brought  up  the 
rear. 

The  Indian  warriors,  with  few  exceptions,  were 
dressed  alike.  Their  headdress  consisted  of  a  broad 
band  bound  around  their  head  back  of  the  ears  and 
tied  behind.  It  was  ornamented  with  feathers  from 
various  kinds  of  birds.  They  all  wore  loose  blanket 
capes  over  their  shoulders  and  fastened  together 
in  front.  Their  breeches  were  made  of  buckskin 

73 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

or  tanned  hides  and  ornamented  with  bells,  beads, 
and  fringes. 

A  few  weeks  later  the  miners  heard  that  the  Arap- 
ahoes  had  attacked  them  early  one  morning  and 
defeated  them,  taking  many  prisoners  and  driving 
the  remainder  out  of  the  mountains  and  down  the 
Arkansas  River.  After  the  Indian  scare  was  over 
and  no  one  hurt,  the  miners  returned  to  their  work. 

The  second  morning  after  Thomas,  Redmond,  and 
party  arrived  on  Blue  River,  Redmond  got  up  with 
a  headache.  He  had  some  fever  but  was  up  and 
around  camp  a  part  of  the  day.  The  next  morning 
he  was  so  much  worse  that  Thomas  went  through 
the  camp  inquiring  for  a  doctor.  He  was  told  that 
there  was  not  a  doctor  in  the  district.  Redmond 
continued  to  grow  worse,  was  deranged  a  part  of 
the  time,  and  had  to  be  watched  day  and  night. 
He  seemed  to  want  to  go  home  and  often  called  for 
Tilda. 

He  would  say,  "Tilda,  Tilda,  why  don't  you 
come?" 

Matilda  was  his  only  sister ;  his  father  and  mother 
were  both  dead.  Everything  was  done  that  could 
be  done  under  the  circumstances,  but  he  grew  rapidly 
worse.  He  lingered  along  for  about  a  week  and 
died  on  the  eighth  day  of  what  the  miners  called 
mountain  fever.  A  grave  was,  dug  on  the  moun- 
tain side  near  their  shanty.  A  rough  box  was  made  of 
lumber  sawed  with  a  whipsaw.  The  miners,  who  had 
been  very  good  and  kind  during  Redmond's  illness, 

74 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

came  and  helped  perform  the  last  sad  rites  of  bury- 
ing their  partner  and  neighbor. 

Redmond  had  always  been  a  neighbor  to  Jones 
and  Ashley  at  their  home  in  southern  Illinois.  The 
day  after  Redmond  was  buried,  therefore,  was  a 
sad  and  gloomy  day  for  the  little  party.  Ashley 
and  Jones  were  much  cast  down  and  so  discouraged 
that  they  talked  of  returning  to  the  States.  Thomas 
tried  to  encourage  them  by  reminding  them  that 
although  it  was  true  that  trouble  had  overtaken 
them  and  death  claimed  one  of  their  number  yet 
there  was  a  prospect  of  brighter  days  ahead.  He 
thought  it  would  be  the  height  of  folly  to  think  of 
returning  home  so  soon  after  coming  so  far  to  hunt 
for  and  dig  gold.  Ashley  and  Jones  argued  that 
if  Buckskin  Joe  had  told  the  truth  there  was  a  very 
poor  show  of  getting  gold  in  the  Blue  River  camp, 
and  that  other  camps  might  be  as  bad  or  worse. 
And,  moreover,  if  mountain  fever  was  contagious 
and  they  stayed  there  they  might  have  more  grave 
digging  to  do.  Thomas '  talk  had  no  effect  and  they 
left  next  morning  for  the  States  with  a  party  of  dis- 
couraged gold  hunters. 

After  they  had  gone  Thomas  thought  for  the  first 
time  of  the  vow  he  had  made  under  the  Beech 
Tree  and  of  what  he  had  said  to  Kipp  regarding 
desirability  of  making  a  vow.  Thomas,  therefore, 
took  courage  and  soon  got  another  partner.  They 
bought  a  'claim  of  a  mining  company  and  a  part  of 
a  mining  outfit  which  was  attached  to  the  claim. 

75 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

They  had  the  privilege  of  prospecting  the  claim  by 
working  it.  If  it  proved  satisfactory,  they  were  to 
pay  the  price  agreed  upon.  Half  of  the  gold  taken 
out  was  to  go  to  the  company ;  payments  to  be  made 
once  a  week. 

A  mining  outfit  consists  of  picks,  long  handled 
shovels,  prospecting  pan,  sluice-boxes,  and  riffles. 
A  prospecting  pan  is  a  round  sheet-iron  pan  sixteen 
or  eighteen  inches  in  diameter  and  five  or  six  inches 
in  depth  with  flaring  sides.  Most  prospecting  pans 
has  copper  bottoms  which  did  not  rust  and  strength- 
ened the  pan ;  five  sluice  boxes  with  riffles  came  with 
the  'claim.  Sluice  boxes  are  made  of  inch  lumber. 
They  are  twelve  inches  wide  and  twelve  feet  long. 
There  are  three  planks  to  each  box.  The  bottom 
plank  is  sawed  an  inch  or  two  wider  at  one  end 
than  at  the  other  in  order  that  the  lower  end  of 
the  first  box  will  fit  into  the  upper  end  of  the  next 
box  and  so  on  until  the  string  of  sluices  is  com- 
pleted and  connects  the  claim  with  the  river.  There 
are  two  narrow  inch  strips  nailed  across  the  tops  of 
each  box,  one  at  either  end,  to  strengthen  the  boxes 
and  prevent  them  from  spreading.  The  number  of 
boxes  used  on  a  mining  >claim  depends  on  the  kind 
of  dirt  to  be  sluiced.  Gravel  mixed  with  clay 
requires  more  boxes  than  ordinary  dirt.  There  are 
several  kinds  of  riffles  used  in  mining.  The  slat  rif- 
fle is  the  one  most  commonly  used.  It  is  made  by 
nailing  lath  or  similar  strips  an  inch  apart  on  three 
narrow  cross  strips,  one  at  either  end  and  one  in 

76 


Wild   Life   in    the   Uocky   Mountains 

the  middle.  Another  kind  of  a  riffle  sometimes  use*- 
wias  made  of  a  plank  full  of  holes,  the  holes  form- 
ing the  riffle.  As  a  matter  of  convenience,  the 
riffle  is  from  two  to  six  feet  in  length.  They  are 
all  made  to  fit  tightly  in  the  bottom  of  the  box. 
They  are  used  only  in  the  lower  boxes.  The  dirt  is 
thrown  in  the  first  or  second  boxes  and  washed  down 
over  the  riffles,  the  gold  settling  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boxes  follows  the  bottom  to  the  riffles  and  lodges 
there.  One  other  thing  that  all  miners  are  obliged 
to  have  is  a  small  scale  of  Troy  weight  and  weights 
from  a  grain  to  an  ounce  with  which  they  weigh 
the  gold  when  prospecting  >and  mining.  Gold  in  its 
natural  state  was  used  <as  money,  the  only  medium 
of  exchange  in  the  mining  country. 

Thomas  and  Woodbury  commenced  mining  on 
their  <claim  on  the  morning  of  the  Fourth  of  July. 
They  commenced  at  sunrise  intending  to  do  an  old 
fashioned  day's  work.  They  worked  hard  all  day, 
stopping  only  long  enough  for  a  short  nooning, 
expecting  to  make  a  big  run  so  that  they  could  write 
home  to  their  folks  in  the  States  -and  tell  them  how 
they  had  celebrated  the  Fourth  and  what  they  had 
made  the  first  day  that  they  had  worked  at  mining. 
At  night  when  they  turned  off  most  of  the  water, 
riffled  down,  and  separated  the  gold  from  the  sand 
and  gravel  according  to  the  miner's  process  they 
weighed  the  gold  and  found  they  had  not  quite  forty 
cents  for  their  day's  work. 

Woodbury  looked  at  it  and  said,  "If  that  is  gold 

77 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

mining,  I  can  beat  it  at  home  in  York  State  raising 
hops," 

Thomas  replied,  "What  we  have  would  not  be 
hard  to  beat.  It  is  'true  that  we  have  not  much 
gold  to  show  for  our  day's  work,  but  we  have 
gained  experience.  There  is  one  of  two  things  cer- 
tain. We  either  did  not  work  in  pay  dirt  or  we 
did  not  have  our  sluice  boxes  set  properly.  They 
might  have  been  too  steep  so  that  too  much  water 
washed  the  gold  away;  or  they  might  have  been 
to  flat  and  did  not  riffle  enough  to  save  the  gold. 
These  and  other  things  we  must  learn  before  we  do 
any  more  mining.  I  am  in  favor,  however,  of  try- 
ing some  other  mining  district." 

Woodbury  said,  "I  have  had  enough  of  this  [Blue 
River  country  and  do  not  care  how  soon  I  leave  it. 
If  we  stay  on  Blue  River  much  longer  we  will  be 
liable  to  get  the  blues." 

"That  is  a  disease  I  never  had,"  replied  Thomas. 


78 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  PAY  STKEAK — NUGGETS  OF  GOLD 

The  following  morning  they  decided  to  go  to  the 
Swan  River  mining  country,  which  was  thirty  miles 
from  the  Blue  E/iver  mining  country.  They  were 
joined  by  Huff,  a  tall  stoop-shouldered  man  well 
along  in  the  forties.  He  said  that  he  had  had  no 
luck  in  the  Blue  River  district  and  wanted  to  try 
his  luck  in  the  Swan  River  country.  He  said  that 
he  had  been  prospecting  and  mining  for  more  than 
a  month  and  had  not  taken  out  more  than  enough 
gold  to  pay  'for  his  grub.  Thomas  replied  that  they 
had  enough  mining  in  the  Blue  River  district  in  that 
one  day's  work;  that  they  had  worked  hard  all  day 
and  only  took  out  enough  gold  to  tell  what  it  looked 
like  in  its  natural  state. 

Huff  answered,  "You  are  not  the  only  ones  who 
got  enough  of  Blue  River  by  working  that  claim. 
It  is  a  trick  that  the  company  has  of  selling  that 
claim  to  tenderfeet  in  order  to  initiate  them  into 
the  mysteries  of  gold  mining  and  at  the  same  time 
get  some  of  the  top  dirt  sluiced  off  into  the  river." 

A  tenderfoot,  in  a  mining  country,  is  ia  name 
applied  to  all  new  and  inexperienced  miners. 

In  preparation  for  the  start  to  the  Swan  River 
country,  Thomas  and  Woodbury  divided  their  camp- 
ing outfit  into  two  equal  parts.  Each  part  was  done 

79 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

up  with  small  rope  enough  to  make  it  convenient 
for  packing.  All  miners  use  small  rope  in  doing 
up  and  preparing  their  camping  outfit  for  moving. 
It  is  called  the  miner's  harness.  Their  route  to 
Swan  River  lay  through  the  mining  districts  of 
Indian  Creek,  Gold  Run,  and  French  Creek.  At 
the  latter  place  they  stopped  to  rest  and  find  out 
what  they  could  about  mines  and  mining.  French 
Creek  was  the  largest  mining  creek  in  the  Blue 
River  'country.  The  bottom  along  the  creek,  which 
lay  between  pine  covered  ranges  of  mountains,  was 
several  hundred  feet  wide  and  ten  or  twelve  miles 
in  length. 

Like  most  of  the  small  rivers  and  creeks  in  the 
mountains,  French  Creek  contained  numerous  beaver 
dams.  Beavers,  like  prairie  dogs,  live  in  communities 
and  always  build  a  number  of  their  dams  in  the  same 
part  of  the  stream.  The  beaver  is  an  animal  two 
feet  or  more  in  length  with  short  legs  and  a  smooth 
flat  tail  eight  or  ten  inches  long.  Beavers  are  very 
ingenious  and  intelligent  animals,  as  is  shown  by 
the  manner  in  which  they  build  their  dams  with  a 
mound  of  dirt  and  their  house  in  the  center  sur- 
rounded by  water.  They  cut  down  bushes  and  sap- 
lings of  just  the  right  length  to  be  used  in  their 
houses.  Beavers  are  seldom  seen  away  from  their 
dams;  they  spend  their  time  in  their  houses  or  in 
the  water.  If  their  dam  happens  to  break  at  any 
time,  large  numbers  are  soon  there  to  mend  the 
break. 

80 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Late  in  the  afternoon  while  the  party  was  travel- 
ing up  French  Creek,  Huff  noticed  that  he  did  not 
have  his  pick.  He  thought  that  he  had  left  it  two  or 
three  miles  back  where  they  had  rested  the  last 
time.  He  laid  it  to  his  bad  luck  and  became  dis- 
couraged. Thomas  reminded  him  that  his  luck 
might  change  when  he  got  to  Swan  River.  He 
told  him  that  it  was  getting  late  and  that  the  rest 
of  them  would  camp  and  get  supper  while  he  went 
after  his  pick.  He  said,  "No,"  that  he  would  go 
back,  get  his  pick,  return  to  Blue  River,  and  start 
for  the  States.  He  maintained  that  losing  his  pick 
was  a  sure  sign  that  if  he  went  on  he  would  have 
bad  luck.  He  went  on  to  mention  some  o!f  the 
instances  of  bad  luck  that  he  had  had  in  the  past. 
Among  other  things,  he  said  that  his  wife  was  an 
invalid  and  sick  most  of  the  time;  one  of  his  chil- 
dren was  deformed,  and  two  of  his  children  had 
died  of  the  scarlet  fever.  He  started  off  grumbling 
about  his  bad  luck  and  was  soon  out  of  sight,  which 
was  the  last  seen  of  Huff. 

This  little  incident  of  Huff  forgetting  or  losing 
his  pick  merely  goes  to  show  how  easily  some  people 
are  discouraged,  and  what  a  small  thing  it  takes  to 
discourage  them.  It  bears  out  the  assertion  that 
Buckskin  Joe  once  made  that  more  than  half  of 
the  miners  who  came  out  to  prospect  for  and  dig  gold 
expected  to  find  it  near  the  surface  and  easy  to 
get  at.  If  they  did  not  find  it  that  way,  they  became 
discouraged  and  returned  home  with  less  money  than 
they  started  with. 

81 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Thomas  and  Woodbury  got  an  early  start  the  next 
morning  and  soon  came  to  a  high,  steep  mountain 
which  they  commenced  to  climb.  Owing  to  the 
weight  of  their  packs,  their  progress  was  slow.  They 
had  to  stop  many  times  to  rest,  moreover,  on  account 
of  the  shortness  of  breath  caused  by  the  high  altitude. 
When  they  reached  the  top  they  found  themselves  on 
the  highest  mountain  of  all  the  surrounding  country. 
As  far  as  eye  could  reach  in  every  direction  they 
could  look  out  over  mountains  and  valleys.  They 
feasted  their  eyes  on  the  grand  mountain  scenery  as 
they  rested  near  the  crater  of  a  volcano  which  had 
been  silent  for  perhaps  thousands  of  years.  The 
crater  was  round  and  several  yards  in  diameter.  The 
rock. sloped  from  the  outer  edges  towards  the  center, 
thus  making  the  center  several  feet  lower  than  the 
rim.  The  trail  from  Blue  River  to  Swan  Eiver  fol- 
lowed the  rim  of  the  crater.  A  traveler  was  never 
known  to  try  to  cross  the  crater,  always  preferring 
to  go  around,  thought  it  was  many  times  further  than 
the  distance  across. 

While  the  partners  were  resting  near  the  crater 
they  heard  thunder  below  them  on  the  other  side  of 
the  mountain.  Looking  down,  they  saw  heavy  clouds 
passing  along  the  mountain  which  seemed  to  indi- 
cate that  a  heavy  rainstorm  was  passing  near  and 
below  them,  yet  all  was  clear  and  bright  around  and 
above  them.  As  soon  as  the  clouds  had  passed  along 
the  mountain  and  disappeared,  they  started  on  their 
journey  down  the  mountain.  Everything  below  the 
timber  line  indicated  that  there  had  been  a  heavy 

82 


Thomas  and  Woodbury  Resting  Near  the  Crater  on  a  High 
Mountain 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

shower;  the  ground  and  rocks  were  wet,  and  the 
bushes  and  trees  were  dripping  with  water. 

Soon  after  they  reached  the  bottom  of  the  moun- 
tain, they  arrived  in  Georgia  Gulch,  which  was  one 
of  the  mining  districts  of  the  Swan  Eiver  country. 
It  was  nearly  noon  and  most  of  the  miners  had  quit 
work  for  the  noonday  meal.  They  walked  down  the 
gulch  and  came  upon  three  young  southerners  from 
Georgia,  who  were  sitting  under  a  pine  tree  and 
singing  southern  songs.  They  finished  the  last  song 
with  the  words,  "In  Dixie's  land  I'll  take  my  stand, 
to  live  and  die  in  Dixie  land. ' ' 

Thomas  introduced  their  party  by  telling  the 
miners  that  they  were  tenderf eet ;  that  they  had  just 
arrived  in  the  gulch,  and,  if  it  were  not  asking  too 
much,  they  would  like  to  know  something  in  regard 
to  the  Swan  River  mining  country.  He  also  asked 
for  some  information  regarding  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions of  the  Georgia  Gulch  mining  district. 

Webster,  who  acted  as  spokesman,  said  that  the 
Swan  Eiver  mining  country  was  composed  of  four 
gulches  and  one  patch  mining  district.  The  gulches 
were  reported  good  and  the  miners  were  taking  out 
gold  in  paying  quantities.  He  stated  that,  in  the 
absence  of  government  and  territorial  laws,  the 
miners  made  their  own  laws,  as  was  always  the  case 
in  the  gold  region.  The  laws  were  the  same,  with 
few  exceptions,  in  all  of  the  mining  districts.  If  a 
miner  went  from  one  district  to  another,  therefore, 
he  was  subject  to  the  same  laws. 

85 


Wild   Life   in    the    RocUy   Mountains 

The  claims  were  the  same  size  in  all  of  the  districts. 
They  were  a  hundred  feet  long  in  the  gulches.  On 
patch  diggings  they  were  one  hundred  feet  square  and 
laid  out  in  tiers.  Each  miner  was  allowed  one  claim 
in  the  district  for  staking  the  ground  he  claimed. 
Other  claims  he  might  acquire  by  purchase,  providing 
that  he  worked  them  six  days  a  week.  If  he  failed 
to  do  so,  they  might  be  worked  by  other  parties. 
This  was  called  ''jumping  a  claim." 

Georgia  Gulch  was  the  last  one  discovered  in  the 
Swan  Eiver  mining  country.  The  discovery  was 
made  by  two  young  men  from  Georgia.  What  little 
prospecting  and  work  had  been  done  was  proving 
it  to  be  the  richest  discovery  yet  made  in  the  Swan 
Eiver  country.  Webster  said  that  the  parties  mak- 
ing a  discovery  were  entitled  to  one  extra  claim  in 
addition  to  the  claims  they  were  allowed  to  stake. 
After  a  discovery  is  made  the  miners  present  hold  a 
meeting  and  organize  the  district  and  name  it.  They 
also  make  the  laws  for  the  district  and  elect  three 
of  their  number  to  the  offices  of  Judge,  Sheriff,  and 
Recorder. 

It  was  the  duty  of  the  Judge  to  preside  at  all 
miners'  meetings;  the  Sheriff  was  expected  to  main- 
tain order,  and  the  Recorder  was  required  to  keep 
the  minutes  of  all  meetings,  record  the  claims,  and 
give  a  certificate  of  ownership,  containing  the  owner's 
name  and  the  number  of  his  claim,  to  each  owner. 
Claims  were  always  known  by  their  numbers.  The 
discovery  claim  was  known  as  No.  1  and  the  other 
claims  were  numbered  up  and  down  the  gulch.  There 

86 


Singing  "Dixie  Land" 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

were  sometimes  several  hundred  claims  in  each  dis- 
trict. The  Eecorder  received  one  dollar  for  rcord- 
ing  each  claim,  the  money  going  to  the  parties  mak- 
ing the  discovery.  This,  together  with  the  discovery 
claim,  served  as  a  reward  for  discovery  and  encour- 
aged prospecting. 

Should  a  dispute  arise  in  regard  to  the  ownership 
of  claims,  or  two  parties  claim  the  same  ground  by 
staking,  a  miners'  meeting  of  all  the  miners  in  the 
district  is  called  to  decide  who  is  the  rightful  owner. 
The  miners  are  jurors;  all,  whether  claim  owners  or 
not,  are  permitted  to  vote.  The  presiding  judge  tells 
each  claimant  to  state  his  case  to  the  miners  present. 
After  each  claimant  has  made  his  statement,  the 
judge  put  it  to  vote.  The  one  receiving  the  majority 
of  votes  is  entitled  to  the  ground.  Thus  it  very  often 
happens  that  the  miner  who  has  the  most  friends  in 
the  district  gets  the  claim,  whether  he  is  entitled  to 
it  or  not. 

Thomas  asked  Webster  if  he  knew  of  any  claims 
for  sale  on  the  gulch.  He  replied  that  he  did  not 
know  of  any;  that  he  had  heard  of  only  one  claim 
being  sold,  and  that  for  two  thousand  dollars.  He 
went  on  to  state,  however,  that  he  had  a  claim  and  a 
fraction  of  twenty  feet.  Since  he  could  not  work 
and  oversee  them  both  at  the  same  time  as  required 
by  the  law  of  the  district,  he  would  sell  the  twenty 
feet. 

" Where  the  twenty  feet?"  asked  Thomas. 

"You  are  standing  on  it,"  replied  Webster. 

"How  does  it  happen  that  there  are  just  twenty 

89 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

feet  here,  when  the  claims  are  a  hundred  feet?" 
inquired  Thomas. 

"It  was  this  way,"  said  Webster.  "When  the 
discovery  was  made,  the  claim  holders  stepped  their 
claims,  aiming  to  step  off  a  hundred  feet.  Quite  a 
number  must  have  made  too  long  steps,  or  else  too 
many  steps.  We  had  just  finished  measuring  seven 
claims  when  you  arrived.  We  commenced  at  dis- 
covery claim  and  allowed  each  claim  holder  his  one 
hundred  feet.  Thus  we  gained  twenty  feet,  which 
is  between  seven  and  eight." 

"What  is  your  price  for  the  twenty  feet?" 

"I  will  sell  it  for  three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars, 
ten  dollars  down  to  bind  the  bargain.  I  will  be  will- 
ing to  wait  for  the  three  hundred  fifty  dollars  until 
you  take  it  out  of  the  claim  after  paying  expenses," 
replied  Webster. 

"Is  it  necessary  to  have  the  twenty  feet  recorded?" 
asked  Thomas. 

"No;  the  only  purpose  of  recording  the  claims  is 
to  show  what  claims,  if  any,  are  not  taken  and  to 
hold  them  until  the  claim  holder  has  time  to  move 
his  camping  outfit  on  and  take  possession, ' '  answered 
Webster. 

"We  will  take  the  claim,"  said  Thomas,  handing 
him  the  ten  dollars.  "We  will  get  the  rest  of  it  in 
the  claim." 

"I  am  not  at  all  uneasy,  the  way  the  claims  are 
paying,  about  getting  the  rest,"  replied  Webster. 
"They  are  paying  from  fifty  to  three  hundred  dollars 

90 


Wild    Life   in    the   EocUy   Mountains 

to  the  sluice.  Some  claims,  however,  pay  better  than 
others.  A  pay  streak,  running  the  entire  length  of 
the  gulch,  is  always  found  where  gold  is  found." 

In  order  to  make  themselves  at  home,  Thomas  and 
Woodbury  built  a  fire,  cooked  and  ate  their  dinner 
on  their  own  twenty  feet.  During  the  afternoon  they 
worked  on  their  drain  ditch,  which  is  always  the 
first  work  to  be  done  in  commencing  to  work  a  claim. 
The  ditch  is  dug  long  and  deep  enough  to  reach  bed- 
rock at  or  near  the  lower  end  of  the  claim  so  that 
the  water  will  drain  off  while  the  miner  is  at  work. 
They  worked  early  and  late,  and  in  two  weeks  had 
their  drain  ditch  completed,  a  cabin  built,  sluice 
boxes  and  riffles  made,  and  the  top  dirt  stripped  off 
the  first  tier  or  pit  ready  to  go  to  work. 

They  hired  an  experienced  miner  to  work  with  them. 
The  first  day  that  they  worked  the  mine  they  took 
out  five  ounces  of  gold,  which,  at  eighteen  dollars  an 
ounce,  the  regular  rate  in  mining,  amounted  to  ninety 
dollars  in  gold.  Thomas  asked  Woodbury  if  he  could 
beat  it  raising  hops  in  York  State.  Woodbury  replied 
that  it  certainly  beat  forty  cents  and  that  he  could 
not  beat  it  raising  hops. 

The  most  of  the  gold  taken  out  of  Georgia  Gulch 
was  coarse.  The  nuggets  were  of  various  sizes.  The 
largest  nugget  taken  out  was  worth  over  three  hun- 
dred dollars.  The  largest  one  taken  out  by  Thomas 
Woodbury,  however,  weighed  over  three  ounces, 
which  amounted  to  fifty-six  dollars.  All  of  the  nug- 
gets were  bright  and  smooth.  They  looked  as  though 

91 


Wild    Life   in    the   Roeky   Mountains 

they  had  been  melted.  It  was  supposed  by  many 
that  they  had  been  thrown  out  of  the  crater  of  the 
old  volcano  at  the  head  of  the  gulch. 

Thomas  and  Woodbury  worked  out  their  twenty 
feet,  and,  after  paying  for  it  and  all  expenses,  found 
that  they  were  eighteen  hundred  dollars  better  off 
than  when  they  arrived  in  the  gulch  and  met  the 
three  young  men  who  were  sitting  under  a  pine  tree 
on  the  twenty  feet.  They  bought  and  worked  other 
claims  during  three  mining  seasons.  They  did  well 
and  were  considered  lucky  miners;  but,  like  many 
others,  they  were  not  content  to  let  well  enough  alone. 
They  decided  to  make  a  change  and  looked  about  for 
another  investment. 


92 


CHAPTEE  XII 

IN  A  GREAT  GAME  COUNTRY 

Thomas  and  Woodbury  went  from  the  Swan  River 
country  to  the  Buckskin  Joe  Lead  mining  district  and 
bought  an  interest  in  the  Buckskin  Joe  Lead.  A  lead 
is  a  crack  or  opening  in  the  solid  rock.  The  space 
between  the  walls  is  filled  with  a  different  formation 
of  rock  known  as  quartz.  The  parties  making  the 
discovery  on  a  lead  are  allowed  to  claim  fifteen  hun- 
dred feet  on  the  extension  of  the  lead,  which  is  in  a 
northeast  and  a  southwest  direction.  A  lead  varies 
in  width  from  an  inch  to  several  feet.  The  Buckskin 
Joe  Lead  was  considered  the  richest  and  best  in  the 
gold  region.  The  quartz  vein  contained  free  gold 
and  was  four  feet  thick.  The  quartz  at  the  surface 
of  the  lead  was  worth  eight  hundred  dollars  to  the 
ton.  The  formation  was  soft  and  easily  worked. 
Enough  quartz  was  taken  out  every  day  to  keep  the 
mills  busy  day  and  night  crushing  the  quartz  and 
separating  the  rock  from  the  gold. 

The  rich  lead  and  the  new  discoveries  of  the  Pair 
Play  Mines,  which  were  placer  mines,  brought  large 
numbers  of  miners  from  all  parts  of  the  mountains. 
This  started  a  building  boom  in  the  little  town  of 
Buckskin  Joe.  In  order  to  help  it  along,  Thomas 
and  Woodbury  bought  a  lot  in  the  business  part  of 
town  and  built  a  hotel.  They  hired  a  man  and  his 

99 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

wife  who,  with  Woodbury,  managed  the  affairs  of  the 
hotel.  Woodbury  asked  Thomas  if  he  was  in  favor 
of  putting  in  a  bar  and  fixtures.  Thomas  told  him 
that  he  had  come  to  the  mountains  to  make  money 
mining  and  was  not  in  favor  of  selling  rot  gut  (bad) 
whisky  at  twenty-five  cents  a  drink  to  miners  for  the 
purpose  of  making  money. 

Soon  after  Thomas  and  Woodbury  had  made  their 
last  payment  for  their  interest  in  the  mine  and  were 
expecting  to  receive  dividends  a  solid  granite  rock 
was  struck  in  the  claim.  Shortly  after,  this  appeared 
in  several  places.  The  sudden  change  in  formation 
and  consequent  failing  of  quartz  in  the  claim  was  a 
great  surprise  and  disappointment  to  everyone.  The 
experienced  miners  differed  in  their  opinions  with 
regard  to  the  condition  of  the  mine.  Some  thought 
that  it  was  a  pocket  or  surface  claim  and  that  it 
was  worked  out;  others  contended  that  the  lead 
was  capped  over,  which  is  sometimes  the  case  in 
leads,  and  that,  by  working  through  the  cap,  they 
would  Strike  the  lead  richer  and  better  than  ever. 
They  commenced  work  with  the  intention  of  going 
through  the  supposed  cap.  After  spending  much 
time  and  money,  however,  they  were  compelled  to 
abandon  the  claim. 

The  sudden  change  in  formation  and  the  failing 
of  the  lead  was  but  one  of  many  changes  that  may 
happen  in  a  mining  country  either  for  success  or 
failure.  A  miner  is  often  poor  one  day  and  rich 
the  next;  or  he  may  consider  himself  rich  one  day 

94 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

only  to  find  himself  a  poor  man  the  next  day.  It 
seems  that  much  depends  on  chance  or  luck  in  a 
mining  country. 

After  working  six  months  in  the  Buckskin  Joe 
district,  Thomas  and  Woodbury  settled  their  busi- 
ness affairs  and  found  themselves  in  a  bad  financial 
condition.  They  had  left  only  a  small  amount  of 
what  they  had  made  in  Georgia  Gulch.  Town  prop- 
erty had  so  depreciated  in  value  on  account  of  the 
failure  of  the  lead  that  they  had  to  sell  their  hotel 
for  less  than  half  of  what  it  had  cost  them  in  order 
that  they  might  get  ready  to  go  with  a  company  of 
miners  to  the  new  territory  of  Idaho  where  rich  gold 
discoveries  had  been  made. 

The  route  from  Buckskin  Joe  to  the  Idaho  gold 
mines  crossed  the  Laramie  Plains,  Medicine  Bow 
Valley,  Bitter  Creek,  Echo  Canyon,  and  Salt  Lake 
City.  The  Laramie  Plains  is  a  plateau  eighty  miles 
across  and  surrounded  by  mountains.  The  country 
is  level  and  almost  destitute  of  timber  and  vegeta- 
tion. The  most  of  the  grass  found  growing  on 
Laramie  Plains  is  bunch  grass,  a  mountain  grass 
that  grows  in  bunches  eight  or  ten  inches  high.  It 
is  cured  by  the  sun  and  dry  air  during  the  summer 
and  fall  months.  Thus  it  holds  its  nourishment  and 
furnishes  food  to  herbivorous  animals  during  the 
winter  months.  There  are  always  places  along  the 
sides  of  mountains  where  the  snow  does  not  cover 
the  grass  during  the  winter  months. 

Patches  of  washed  gravel  of  various  sizes  were 
seen  the  entire  distance  across  the  plains.  There  were 

95 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

clear  indications  that  the  country  had  been  flooded 
with  water  during  some  past  period  of  time.  It 
might  have  been  one  of  the  mountain  lakes  which 
had  been  drained  by  the  Laramie  River  cutting  back 
through  the  mountains. 

One  of  the  most  wonderful  of  the  mountain 
sceneries  outside  of  the  Garden  of  the  Gods  is  located 
on  Laramie  Plains.  It  is  a  circular  column  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  bottom  and  taper- 
ing to  a  sharp  point  at  the  top,  which  is  two  hundred 
or  more  feet  from  the  ground.  Needle  Rock,  as  it 
is  known,  stands  near  the  center  of  the  plains,  a  soli- 
tary landmark.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  rocks 
at  its  base  there  is  no  other  mountain  or  rock  near  it. 
The  formation  is  smooth  washed  gravel  of  various 
sizes  cemented  together  with  a  white  substance 
similar  in  appearance  to  lime  mortar.  It  is  supposed 
by  many  to  have  been  built  by  the  Indians  or  some 
extinct  race  of  people.  The  gravel  seemed  to  be  the 
same  as  that  found  on  the  plains. 

Medicine  Bow  Valley,  located  in  the  Medicine  Bow 
Mountains,  ninety  miles  southeast  of  the  Laramie 
Plains,  is  noted  for  its  luxuriant  grass.  Indeed,  the 
grass  grows  very  tall  and  stays  green  the  year  around. 
The  valley  is  four  or  five  miles  wide  and  twelve  or 
fifteen  miles  long.  It  lies  between  two  ranges  of 
mountains  along  the  Medicine  Bow  River.  This 
valley  seems  to  be  a  paradise  for  all  grass-eating 
animals,  of  which  antelope  seemed  most  numerous. 
They  are  of  a  different  species  from  those  seen  on 
the  plains.  The  antelope  on  the  plains  are  seen  in 

96 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

small  droves  usually  numbering  from  five  to  twenty. 
The  droves  in  Medicine  Bow  Valley,  however,  often 
numbered  a  hundred  or  more.  They  seemed,  more- 
ever,  much  less  afraid  of  approaching  danger. 

Thomas,  Woodbury  and  company  camped  one  day 
in  Medicine  Bow  Valley  in  order  to  let  their  teams 
rest  and  feed.  It  is  customary  and,  indeed,  neces- 
sary to  rest  one  day  out  of  each  week  while  traveling 
long  distances.  Sunday  is  the  day  chosen  to  rest  if 
there  is  enough  wood,  water,  and  grass  for  camping 
purposes;  if  not,  they  travel  until  they  find  it,  be  it 
Monday,  Tuesday,  or  any  other  day  of  the  week. 
In  so  doing  they  sometimes  forget  the  days  of  the 
week  and  thus  travel  for  weeks  without  knowing 
which  day  is  Sunday.  While  in  the  Medicine  Bow 
Valley,  members  of  the  company  killed  two  antelope, 
two  beavers,  and  one  porcupine.  This  was  the  first 
game  seen  or  killed  since  starting,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  mountain  sheep  which  was  shot  on  a  high 
mountain  cliff  near  Laramie  Plains. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
SALT  LAKE  VALLEY 

The  route  from  Medicine  Bow  Valley  to  Bitter 
Creek  is  over  a  sandy,  barren  country  covered  with 
sage  brush  nearly  the  entire  distance.  There  is  not 
much  timber  or  grass,  except  bunch  grass,  for  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  or  more.  In 
the  absence  of  timber,  sage  brush  is  used  for  cooking 
purposes  in  camp.  Sage  brush  grows  in  bunches 
three  or  four  feet  high.  The  stalks  are  an  inch  or 
more  in  thickness.  As  the  old  ones  die  out  new  come 
in  to  take  their  place.  A  large  spring  of  pure  cold 
water  known  as  Rock  Spring  is  located  near  Bitter 
Creek.  Thomas,  Woodbury  and  company  arrived  at 
Rock  Spring  late  in  the  afternoon  and  camped  for 
the  night.  This  was  their  last  camping  place  before 
crossing  Bitter  Creek  Valley.  The  distance  from 
Rock  Spring  to  Green  River,  the  next  camping  place, 
twenty-five  or  more  miles,  is  made  without  camping. 

Bitter  Creek,  a  small  stream  twenty-five  or  thirty 
miles  in  length,  runs  through  the  center  of  Bitter 
Creek  Valley  and  empties  into  Green  River.  The 
valley  is  very  nearly  the  size  of  Medicine  Bow 
Valley,  but  is  an  entirely  different  kind  of  a  valley. 
Instead  of  being  covered  with  green  grass  and  popu- 
lated by  herds  of  antelope  it  is  barren,  without  grass 
or  vegetation,  and  the  surface  is  covered  with  alkali 

98 


Wild    Life   in    the   Roc~ky   Mountains 

which  gives  it  a  white  appearance.  It  should  be 
called  Alkali  Valley  or  the  Valley  of  Desolation. 
The  water  of  Bitter  Creek  is  alkaline  and  not  fit  for 
use  by  either  man  or  beast. 

Green  River  is  a  rapid  stream  which  rises  in  the 
Wind  Eiver  Mountains,  and,  with  Grand  River, 
forms  the  Colorado.  Near  Green  River  is  a  grave 
covered  with  a  flat  rock.  At  the  head  of  the  grave 
is  a  monument  four  or  five  feet  high  built  of  loose 
rock  but  without  any  inscription  written  upon  it. 
There  were  two  other  graves  near  with  the  following 
inscriptions,  "J.  Wilcox,  died  July  Fourth,  1853. 
From  Quincy,  111."  And,  "Emma  Palmer,  aged 
seventeen  months,  died  October  the  eleventh,  1862. 
From  Boston,  Mass.'7 

A  short  distance  west  of  Green  River  is  Rattle- 
snake Hill,  a  low  rocky  hill,  over  which  the  road 
passes  for  a  distance  of  several  miles.  This  hill  takes 
its  name  from  the  fact  that  it  is  infested  by  large 
numbers  of  rattlesnakes.  They  were  so  numerous 
that  the  air  had  a  sickening  smell.  When  the  party 
arrived  at  the  hill  several  of  the  party  went  on  ahead 
armed  with  guns  and  clubs  with  which  to  kill  the 
snakes  in  and  near  the  road.  The  largest  snake 
killed  was  nearly  six  feet  in  length.  The  object  in 
killing  the  snakes  was  to  keep  them  from  biting  the 
teams  while  passing  over  the  hill. 

The  road  from  Green  River  to  Fort  Bridger  was 
not  very  interesting,  though  the  scenery  was  grand 
at  certain  points.  The  banks  of  Ham's  Fork,  a  small 
river,  were  inhabited  by  seemingly  millions  of  mos~ 

99 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

quitoes  of  such  ravenous  appetites  as  to  almost 
devour  one  alive. 

The  descent  of  the  western  slope  of  the  mountains 
began  at  Fort  Bridger.  Here  various  tribes  of 
Indians  met  at  different  times  to  receive  their  annual 
rations  from  the  government  agent.  Here  the  old 
Washakie  band  of  Snake  Indians  often  danced  their 
different  war  dances  for  the  amusement  of  the  sol- 
diers and  citizens  of  the  fort.  Judge  Carter,  the 
settler  of  the  fort,  lived  at  the  fort.  He  was  a  man 
of  wealth  and  education.  The  traveler  was  always 
made  welcome  at  his  home,  especially  if  he  praised 
his  wine  and  cigars.  A  noted  hunter  and  trapper  by 
the  name  of  Jim  Bridger,  after  whom  Bridger  Pass 
was  named,  also  lived  there.  He  had  lived  in  the 
region  for  many  years,  had  a  squaw  for  a  wife  and 
a  large  family  of  half-breeds.  He  was  noted  for 
telling  stories.  After  he  had  taken  a  few  drinks,  he 
loved  to  tell  of  the  strange  things  that  had  happened 
during  his  past  life.  Bridger  said  that  he  never,  in 
all  of  his  life,  had  seen  any  bad  whisky;  it  was  all 
good. 

The  road  from  Bridger,  over  hill  and  gully,  is 
rough  and  stony.  The  worst  part  is  called  Cobble 
Stone  Hill  because  of  the  fact  that  it  is  covered  with 
small  stones.  As  the  road  descended  from  Cobble 
Stone  Hill  the  country  became  more  fertile.  A 
small  Mormon  settlement,  presided  over  by  a  bishop 
of  that  church,  was  located  at  Bear  Eiver.  There 
the  party  stopped  to  rest  before  entering  Echo 
Canyon,  which  is  thirty  miles  in  length  and  less  than 

100 


Killing  Rattlesnakes  on  Rattlesnake  Hill 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

half  a  mile  wide.  A  small  stream  bordered  with 
grass  and  wooded  with  small  timber  a  part  of  the 
way  ran  through  the  canyon.  The  canyon  narrows 
in  several  places  until  it  is  not  more  than  forty  feet 
wide,  while  the  rocky  walls  in  various  places  are 
five  or  six  hundred  feet  high.  These  high  perpen- 
dicular walls  of  rock  and  the  narrow  passages  cause 
a  loud  voice  or  sound  to  echo  and  re-echo — thus  the 
name,  Echo  Canyon.  Several  strange  formations  of 
rock  are  found  near  the  mouth  of  the  canyon.  One 
of  these,  Pulpit  Eock,  takes  its  name  from  the  fact 
that  it  looks  very  much  like  an  old-fashioned  pulpit. 
The  other  is  so  ghost-like  in  its  wizard  appearance 
that  the  early  settlers  gave  it  the  name  of  Witch's 
Eock. 

After  passing  through  the  canyon  the  party  came 
to  Weber  Valley.  The  valley  on  either  side  of  Weber 
Eiver  is  narrow  and  fertile.  Here  the  party  found 
a  Mormon  settlement  by  the  name  of  Weber,  a  town 
containing  perhaps  forty  houses  which  were  small 
and  built  of  hewn  logs.  The  party,  however,  trav- 
eled three  miles  up  the  river  and  camped  at  another 
Mormon  settlement.  Several  of  the  Mormons  of  this 
settlement  had  a  number  of  wives,  as  is  according  to 
their  custom  and  belief.  The  large  number  of  chil- 
dren seen  playing  around  some  of  their  houses 
reminded  one  of  recess  at  a  country  school. 

The  Weber  Eiver  Valley  was  broad  and  well  culti- 
vated. Wheat,  oats,  barley,  and  beets  were  the  staple 
crops.  The  grand  feature  of  this  valley  was  Devil's 
Gate,  a  break  in  the  Eocky  Mountains  which  forms 

103 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

the  gateway  to  the  Valley  of  the  Saints.  Perpendic- 
ular cliffs  rise  upward  on  either  side  five  hundred 
feet  high.  At  no  place  between  the  walls  was  the 
space  more  than  one  hundred  feet  wide ;  and,  indeed, 
in  several  places  it  was  not  more  than  fifty  feet.  The 
entire  length  of  the  gap,  the  walls  of  which  were 
composed  of  dark  gray  granite,  was  nearly  seven 
hundred  feet.  The  river,  which  had  carved  a  channel 
through  the  rock,  flowed  on  through  the  valley  to  the 
great  dead  sea  of  the  west. 

John  C.  Fremont  first  explored  and  described 
Great  Salt  Lake  in  1842.  It  lies  in  a  great  valley  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  is  nearly  one  hundred  miles  in 
length  and  less  than  fifty  miles  in  width.  Near  the 
center  of  the  lake  are  a  number  of  islands,  upon 
some  of  which  are  found  springs  of  pure  fresh  water, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  waters  of  the  lake 
are  nearly  one-fourth  salt.  It  is,  in  fact,  too  salty 
for  fish  to  live  in.  The  Jordan  River  and  the  fresh 
water  lake,  Utah,  flow  into  it  from  the  south,  while 
the  Bear  River,  a  large  mountain  stream,  flows  into 
it  from  the  north.  The  lake  has  no  visible  outlet, 
but  seems  to  evaporate.  Some  people  have  thought 
that  it  might  have  a  subterranean  outlet  to  the  ocean. 
The  water  is  so  dense  on  account  of  the  large  amount 
of  salt  in  it  that  it  is  practically  impossible  to  sink 
to  the  bottom ;  one  will  float  on  the  water  in  spite  of 
one's  self.  Another  point  of  interest  in  the  lake  is  a 
large  black  rock  that  stands  alone  in  the  water.  It 
must  have  rolled  down  from  the  mountains. 

104 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  MYSTEKIES  OF  MOKMONISM 

Thomas,  Woodbury  and  company,  after  traveling 
for  thirty-four  days  over  a  mountain  country,  a  dis- 
tance of  six  hundred  miles  or  more,  are  now  at  the 
base  of  the  Wasatch  Bange  of  Mountains  in  the  Salt 
Lake  Valley,  where  Brigham  Young  laid  out  Salt 
Lake  City  in  1847.  He  claimed  that  he  had  a  vision 
in  which  he  was  told  by  an  angel  where  the  site  of 
the  city  should  be.  The  prophet,  therefore,  com- 
manded his  followers  to  halt  and  pitch  their  tents, 
as  they  had  finally  arrived  at  the  site  of  the  city  of 
the  New  Jerusalem.  He  named  the  mountain  Ensign 
Peak  and  the  stream  at  its  base  City  Creek.  That 
other  and  larger  stream  of  fresh  water,  beyond  its 
water  gate  of  Mountain  Point,  he  named  after  the  old 
historical  stream  of  the  Jews,  the  Jordan. 

Salt  Lake  City,  which  is  about  two  miles  wide, 
stretches  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Jordan  between 
Utah  and  Salt  Lakes.  It  is  located  about  fifteen 
miles,  although  the  clear  atmosphere  makes  it  appear 
not  more  than  five,  from  the  Wasatch  Mountains  and 
about  ten  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Its 
nearest  point  to  Great  Salt  Lake  is  nine  miles.  It 
rests  upon  one  of  the  lowest  benches  of  the  mountain 
range  and  slopes  from  north  to  south  along  the  lines 

105 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

of  its  waterways,  and  from  east  to  west,  which  is  its 
natural  drainage  to  the  lake. 

The  streets  cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  all 
beginning  at  Temple  Block,  the  sacred  point  of  its 
civilization.  The  streets  are  over  one  hundred  feet 
wide  and  lined  with  locust  and  other  shade  trees. 
These  are  irrigated  by  two  streams  of  water  from  the 
hills.  The  system  of  irrigation  is  such  that  it  waters 
the  whole  city.  Each  square  contains  ten  acres  and 
is  subdivided  into  lots  of  one  and  a  quarter  acres 
each.  This  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  giving  each 
lot  holder  sufficient  ground  for  a  garden  and  orchard 
of  fruit  trees,  most  of  which  were  peach  which  rarely 
failed  to  bear  fruit. 

The  most  of  the  buildings  in  the  city  are  one-story 
structures  built  of  sun-dried  brick  or  adobe.  They 
usually  face  the  street  or  else  they  are  built,  like  a 
barn,  with  wings  extending  toward  the  street.  The 
business  street  of  the  city,  along  Temple  Front,  is 
Main  street,  where  all  the  stores  of  both  Gentile  and 
Mormon  merchants  are  located.  This  comprises  the 
business  center  of  the  city. 

Among  the  noted  buildings  of  the  city  are  two 
large  houses  where  Brigham  Young  lives  with  a  num- 
ber of  his  wives  and  children.  They  are  known  as 
the  Eagle  and  Lyon  houses,  respectively.  The  gate- 
way, leading  through  a  high  wall  of  sun-dried  brick, 
to  the  Eagle  House  is  surmounted  by  a  plastic  group 
composed  of  an  immense  vulture  eagle  standing  with 
outstretched  wings  upon  a  beehive,  the  Mormon  em- 
blem of  industry.  Not  far  away  is  the  Lyon  House, 

106 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

which  derives  its  name  from  a  large  stone  lion  placed 
over  the  pillars  of  its  portico.  Nearby  is  a  small 
building  of  sun-dried  brick,  which  is  the  private 
schoolhouse  of  the  prophet's  numerous  children. 
West  of  this  lies  the  private  office  in  which  visitors 
are  received.  Beyond,  and  in  the  same  direction,  is 
located  the  mansion  called  the  Beehive,  so  called 
because  of  a  beehive  which  is  carved  on  its  front.  In 
this  large  building,  with  its  sides  fronting  east  and 
west,  and  its  windows  securely  barred,  live  and  labor 
many  of  the  prophet's  wives. 

West  of  the  executive  block  is  the  Tithing  House 
and  Desert  Store.  This  is  a  large  three-storied  struc- 
ture with  numerous  cellars,  store  rooms,  receiving 
rooms,  and  offices.  Here  are  collected  and  stored  all 
of  the  tithes  of  the  product  of  Mormon  industry  in 
each  and  every  department  of  their  skill  and  labor. 
Such  is  the  result  of  that  system  of  tithing  which 
compels  each  member  of  the  church  to  give  to  its 
support  one-tenth  of  all  the  products  of  his  or  her 
labor.  All  of  the  articles  given  as  tithes  were  imme- 
diately converted  into  cash.  Brigham  Young's  rule 
was  law,  and  even  the  poorest  member  never  failed  to 
give  his  share.  Brigham  Young,  who  had  complete 
control  of  the  tithing,  was  the  receiver  of  this  vast 
fund.  A  part  of  the  fund  was  used  to  build  the 
Temple,  to  repair  the  tabernacle,  and  to  assist  the  ' 
needy  emigrant. 

It  was  supposed  that  the  larger  portion,  however, 
was  retained  by  the  President  of  this  religious  sect. 

107 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

It  was  generally  understood  that  Brigham  Young  was 
the  second  largest  depositor  in  the  Bank  of  England. 
He  was  a  shrewd  business  man  and  was  careful  to 
deposit  his  means  where  they  could  not  be  reached  by 
any  process  of  law  in  this  country  in  case  the  time 
should  ever  come  when  such  a  course  should  be 
attempted. 

Adjoining  the  tithing  house  was  a  two-storied 
building  forty-five  feet  square  which  contained  the 
printing  and  publishing  office  of  the  Desert  News,  the 
official  organ  of  Brigham  Young  and  the  Church. 

Across  Main  Street  and  further  west  was  Temple 
Block,  a  square  piece  of  ground  covering  ten  acres  and 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  wall  ten  feet  high  made 
of  adobe  upon  a  foundation  of  sandstone.  In  the 
southwestern  corner  of  this  block  was  the  tabernacle. 
It  was  built  by  the  Mormons  for  temporary  purposes, 
to  be  replaced  later  by  the  Temple.  It  was  built  of 
sun-dried  brick.  Its  roof  was  dome-shaped  and  cov- 
ered with  shingles.  Over  the  north  and  south  doors 
was  carved  a  representation  of  the  sun.  The  west  end 
of  the  building  was  for  the  higher  officials  of  the 
church.  The  platform  was  about  six  feet  high  and  on 
it  were  seats  for  the  President,  the  twelve  Apostles, 
and  other  officials.  The  women  sat  on  the  right  side 
of  the  speaker  and  the  men  on  the,  left.  Meetings 
were  held  each  Sunday  and  sometimes  during  the 
week.  Twice  a  year  a  conference  was  held,  which  was 
attended  by  thousands  of  saints  from  all  parts  of  the 
Territory.  The  inside  of  the  tabernacle  was  large 
enough  to  drill  a  regiment  of  men. 

108 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

Near  the  center  of  the  Square  fronting  Main  Street, 
away  from  all  other  buildings,  they  were  working  on 
the  foundation  of  the  Temple,  which,  when  completed, 
was  to  be  the  vast  cathedral  of  the  Mormon  sect.  It 
was  to  be  a  magnificent  building,  built  to  last  for 
ages.  The  foundations  were  sixteen  feet  deep  and 
constructed  of  gray  granite.  The  building,  when  fin- 
ished, would  be  one  hundred  six  and  one-half  feet 
in  length  and  ninety-nine  feet  wide,  with  three  towers 
at  each  end,  the  central  one  two  hundred  feet  high 
and  the  side  towers  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet  high. 

In  the  northwest  part  of  the  block  was  the  Endow- 
ment House,  which  was  constructed  out  of  adobe  or 
sun-dried  brick,  with  a  closed  roof.  There  were  four 
windows,  one  of  which  was  blocked  up.  Within  this 
building  the  Mormon  convert  was  received  into  the 
church  with  peculiar  and  mysterious  forms  and  cere- 
monies which  were  known  only  to  those  who  joined 
the  church.  These  ceremonies  were  never  to  be 
revealed.  A  woman  who  had  passed  through  the 
ordeal  previous  to  her  polygamous  marriage,  however, 
later  told  the  experiences  through  which  she  passed 
on  that  occasion. 


109 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  MORMON  WOMAN  's  CONFESSION 

"On  a  certain  day,"  she  said,  "I  went  to  the 
Endowment  House  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
taking  with  me  my  endowment  clothes  consisting  of 
robe,  cap,  apron,  and  moccasins.  I  went  into  the  recep- 
tion room  attached  to  the  main  building,  which  was 
crowded  with  men  and  women  carrying  their  bundles 
of  clothes.  The  entrance  door  is  on  the  east  side,  and 
in  the  southeast  corner  there  is  another,  next  to  which 
the  desk  stood  where  the  clerk  recorded  the  names. 
Around  the  north  and  west  sides  were  benches  for  the 
people  to  sit  on.  On  going  up  to  the  desk,  I  presented 
my  credentials  from  the  bishop  in  whose  ward  I  was 
staying.  The  clerk  asked  my  name,  those  of  my 
parents,  when  and  where  I  was  born,  and  when  I 
was  baptized  into  the  Mormon  faith. 

"He  then  told  me  to  leave  my  hat,  cloak,  and  shoes 
in  that  room.  I  did  so.  Taking  up  my  bundle  I  went 
into  another  room,  where  I  sat  waiting  until  my  turn 
came  to  be  washed.  One  of  the  women  officers  told 
me  to  come  behind  the  curtain.  I  obeyed.  As  soon 
as  I  was  undressed  I  stepped  into  a  long  bath  about 
half  full  of  water.  Another  woman  came  in  and  pro- 
ceeded to  wash  me.  I  objected  strongly  to  this  part 
of  the  business,  but  was  told  to  show  a  more  humble 
spirit.  When  she  got  to  my  feet  she  turned  me  over 

no 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

to  another  woman,  who  wore  a  large  apron  and  wore 
her  sleeves  turned  up  above  her  elbows. 

"She  looked  like  business.  A  woman  standing 
beside  her  held  a  large  wooden  spoon  and  a  cow's  horn 
filled  with  green  olive  oil.  This  woman  poured  the 
olive  oil  out  of  the  wooden  spoon  into  the  other 
woman's  hand,  who  immediately  put  it  on  my  head, 
ears,  eyes,  mouth  and  all  parts  of  my  body.  As  she 
greased  she  muttered  a  kind  of  prayer  over  each 
member  of  my  body;  my  head  that  I  might  have 
knowledge  of  the  truths  of  God ;  my  eyes  that  I  might 
see  the  glories  of  the  kingdom ;  my  mouth  that  I  might 
at  all  times  speak  the  truth ;  my  arms  that  they  might 
be  strong  in  the  defense  of  the  gospel ;  my  bosom  that 
I  might  nourish  the  children  that  I  might  raise  by 
my  husband;  my  body  that  I  might  raise  up  good 
children  that  they  might  be  pillars  of  strength  to  the 
upbuilding  of  God 's  kingdom  on  earth ;  and  my  feet 
that  they  might  be  swift  in  the  paths  of  righteousness 
and  truth. 

"Mormon  people  deny  many  of  these  things. 
Civilized  and  decent  people  can  scarcely  believe  that 
the  institution  is  so  infamous  as  it  is.  Nevertheless, 
I  solemnly  assert  that  these  things  do  exist.  I  was 
not  married  at  this  time,  but  I  expected  to  be  soon. 
She  then  turned  me  over  to  the  woman  who  had 
washed  me,  who  whispered  my  new  celestial  name  in 
my  ear.  I  believe  that  I  am  to  be  called  up  on  the 
morning  of  the  Resurrection  by  it. 

"I  was  then  permitted  to  put  on  my  garments, 
in 


Wild    Life   in    the    Rocky   Mountains 

These  were  made  in  one  piece  and  adorned  by  several 
emblems.  We  were  told  that  as  long  as  we  kept  them 
on  no  harm  could  befall  us.  When  we  changed  them 
we  were  not  to  take  them  all  off  at  the  same  time,  but 
were  to  slip  a  limb  out  at  a  time,  and  at  once  put  on 
the  clean  one.  The  neck  was  never  to  be  cut  low  or 
the  sleeves  short,  for  that  would  be  following  the 
fashions  of  the  Gentiles.  After  this  I  put  on  my 
clothes,  and,  in  my  stocking  feet,  waited  with  those 
who  were  washed  and  anointed  until  she  had  finished 
the  remaining  two  or  three. 

"This  done,  the  calico  curtains  were  drawn  aside 
and  the  men  and  women  stood  facing  each  other.  The 
men  had  on  only  their  garments  and  shirts  and  looked 
ashamed  of  themselves,  as  well  they  might.  Joseph 
Smith  came  to  where  we  were  all  waiting  and  told  us 
that  if  we  wished  to  back  out,  now  was  our  time, 
because  we  would  not  be  able  to  afterward.  All  those 
that  wanted  to  go  right  through  were  told  to  hold  up 
their  right  hands,  which,  of  course,  everyone  did, 
believing  as  we  did  that  all  of  the  good  and  holy 
things  that  were  to  be  seen  in  the  House  of  the  Lord 
were  yet  to  come.  He  then  told  us  that  if  any  of  us 
ever  attempted  to  reveal  what  we  heard  in  the  Endow- 
ment House,  'Our  memories  would  be  blighted  and 
we  would  be  everlastingly  damned/  for  they  were 
things  too  holy  to  be  spoken  of  between  each  other 
after  we  had  once  left  the  Endowment  House. 

"After  passing  through  many  more  ceremonies  and 
instruction  rooms,  we  reached  the  last  instruction 

112 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

room,  where  we  were  told  to  sit  down  on  benches  on 
the  west  side  of  the  room.  In  the  center  of  the  room 
was  a  beam  to  which  was  attached  a  calico  curtain 
called  a  veil.  It  was  supposed  to  be  an  imitation  of 
the  one  in  Solomon's  Temple.  On  this  veil  are  marks 
like  those  on  the  garments  and  holes  for  arms  to  be 
put  through,  and  one  at  the  top  to  speak  through. 
Before  going  through  the  veil  we  were  given  further 
instructions. 

'  *  This  done,  the  priest  took  a  man  to  the  opening  in 
the  veil,  where  he  knocked  with  a  small  wooden  mallet. 
A  voice  on  the  other  side  of  the  veil  asked  who  was 
there.  Then  the  priest,  answering  for  the  man,  said : 

"  'A  candidate  for  marriage.' 

"The  priest  then  led  the  man  up  to  the  west  side 
of  the  veil,  where  he  whispered  his  new  name  to  the 
one  on  the  other  side  of  the  veil.  This  is  the  only 
person  that  he  ever  tells  his  celestial  name ;  he  must 
never  tell  even  his  wife.  The  wife,  however,  must  tell 
her  celestial  name  to  her  husband.  The  man  was  then 
permitted  to  pass  through  to  the  other  side,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  heaven.  The  man  having  been  passed 
through,  he  went  to  an  opening  and  told  the  gate 
keeper  to  call  the  woman  that  he  was  about  to  marry, 
and  he  mentioned  her  name.  She  thereupon  stepped 
up  to  the  veil.  They  could  not  see  each  other,  but  put 
their  hands  through  the  openings,  one  of  their  hands 
on  the  other's  shoulder  and  the  other  around  the 
waist.  The  woman 's  name  was  now  whispered 
through  the  veil,  then  her  new  and  celestial  name. 

113 


Wild   Life   in    the   Eocky   Mountains 

The  priestess,  who  stood  near  to  instruct  the  woman, 
directed  them  to  repeat  after  her  a  most  disgusting 
oath.  They  then  released  their  hold  of  each  other, 
and  the  priestess,  leading  the  woman  to  an  opening, 
knocked  the  same  as  the  priest  had  done  at  the  men's 
entrance.  The  gatekeeper,  having  asked  'Who  is 
there?'  and  the  priestess  having  answered,  'A  woman 
having  been  faithful  in  all  things  desires  to  enter/ 
the  woman  was  ushered  into  Heaven. 

"Before  I  go  further,  I  must  tell  how  they  believe 
the  entrance  into  Heaven  is  to  be  gained  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Resurrection.  Peter  will  call  up  the 
women  and  men,  for  it  is  not  possible  for  a  woman  to 
be  resurrected,  exalted,  or  made  queen  in  Heaven 
unless  some  man  takes  pity  on  her  and  raises  her. 
The  dead  are  buried  in  robes.  If  the  marks  on  the 
garment  are  found  to  correspond  with  those  on  the 
veil ;  if  you  can  give  your  new  name  and  the  proper 
tokens  and  are  dressed  properly  in  your  robes,  you 
have  a  sure  permit  to  enter  Heaven  and  will  pass  by 
angels  who  are  to  be  ministering  angels  of  a  more 
exalted  glory.  The  more  wives  a  man  has,  the  more 
glory  and  the  higher  glory  he  will  have. 

"We  were  now  taken  to  the  priest,  who  was  at  a 
table  recording  the  names  of  those  who  were  candi- 
dates for  marriage.  He  wrote  the  names  in  a  book, 
the  existence  of  which  marriage  register  this  truthful 
apostle  has  since  denied,  in  order  that  a  polygamous 
marriage  might  not  be  found  out.  Then  he  wrote  the 
two  names  on  a  piece  of  paper  to  be  taken  into  the 

114 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

sealing  room  to  the  officiating  priest  so  that  he  might 
know  whom  he  was  marrying.  After  having  given 
this  paper  to  Daniel  H.  Wells,  we  knelt  at  a  little 
wooden  altar.  These  altars  are  all  alike  in  the  Endow- 
ment House.  He  then  asked  the  man  if  he  were 
willing  to  take  me  to  wife,  and  if  I  were  willing  to 
take  him  for  my  husband.  We  both  answered  in  the 
affirmative.  He  then  told  my  husband  that  he  must 
look  to  God.  But  he  told  me  to  look  to  my  husband 
as  my  god ;  that  if  he  lived  his  religion  the  spirit  of 
God  would  be  in  him;  and  that  I  must,  therefore, 
yield  to  him  unquestioning  obedience  as  a  god.  He 
then  concluded  the  ceremony  by  saying  he,  having 
authority  from  on  High  to  bind  or  loose  here  on  earth 
and  whatsoever  he  binds  here  on  earth  shall  be  bound 
in  Heaven,  now  seals  me  (the  woman)  for  time  and 
all  eternity.  He  then  told  us  to  kiss  each  other  across 
the  altar,  the  man  kneeling  on  the  north  side  and  I  on 
the  south  side.  And  so  the  ceremony  was  concluded. 
Sometimes  there  are  witnesses  and  sometimes  not.  If 
they  think  any  trouble  may  arise  or  that  the  woman 
is  inclined  to  be  a  little  perverse,  they  have  no  wit- 
nesses nor  do  they  give  any  marriage  certificate.  Thus 
if  occasion  requires  it  to  shield  any  of  their  polyga- 
mous brethren  from  being  found  out,  they  will  swear 
that  they  did  not  perform  any  marriage.  The  women 
in  this  church,  therefore,  have  a  poor  outlook  for  being 
considered  honorable  wives. 

"When  the  marriage  ceremony  was  over  we  came 
out  of  the  Sealing  Eoom  and  I  crossed  Heaven  to  the 

115 


Wild   Life   in    the   Kooky   Mountains 

ladies7  dressing  room,  whence,  after  having  dressed 
and  my  husband  paying  the  fees,  we  took  our  depar- 
ture, together  with  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  was 
half  past  three  when  we  left.  Since  I  had  gone  there 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  you  may  imagine  how 
tired  I  felt  after  listening  patiently  all  of  that  time  to 
their  incessant  talking.  At  the  end  of  that  time  one 
feels  more  like  taking  in  nourishment  than  listening  to 
the  promptings  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

"I  should  perhaps  have  remarked  before  tbrat  the 
priests,  when  going  through  the  house,  wear  their 
ordinary  clothing.  They  come  straight  into  the  House 
of  the  Lord  wearing  their  dirty  top  boots  as  though 
they  had  just  come  off  a  farm,  while  we  poor  sinners 
were  obliged  to  walk  in  our  stocking  feet  lest  the  floor 
be  defiled.  The  little  addition  attached  to  the  main 
building  on  the  west  side,  in  which  the  Fount  is,  is 
used  for  re-baptizing  people  before  they  are  allowed 
to  go  through  the  House.  This  is  quite  a  separate 
affair  from  the  washing  and  anointing  already  spoken 
of;  people  are  usually  baptized  a  day  or  two  before 
they  go  through  the  House.  I  was  baptized  the  day 
before.  On  that  same  evening  I  was  told  that  I  was 
going  through  the  House  of  the  Lord  on  the  following 
day  and  that  I  must  pay  the  very  strictest  attention 
to  everything  I  should  see  and  hear,  as  it  would  be 
for  my  benefit  hereafter.  I  was  obedient  in  that 
respect,  for  I  remember  everything  that  happened  as 
vividly  as  though  it  happened  yesterday;  and,  if  it 
has  not  been  for  my  benefit,  I  hope  that  this  article 
may  prove  of  some  use  in  warning  and  enlightening 

111 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

people  as  to  that  most  horrid  blasphemy  and  mum- 
mery that  goes  on  in  that  most  sacred  'House  of  the 
Lord.'  " 

Such  is  a  portion  of  the  religious  form  and  cere- 
monies of  the  Mormon  Church  as  revealed  by  Mrs.  G. 
E.  Richards.  Previously  to  Mrs.  Richards'  confession 
there  had  been  a  disruption  in  the  Mormon  Church. 
Four  Mormon  Elders,  who  became  convinced  of  the 
dishonesty  of  the  Mormon  faith  as  a  Christian 
religion,  and  of  the  intense  selfishness  and  tyranny 
of  Brigham  Young  as  a  leader  of  the  Church,  claimed 
to  have  found  scriptural  authority  for  arraying  them- 
selves against  polygamy  and  their  old  faith.  They 
believed  that  the  time  had  come  when  Brigham 's  rule 
and  authority  should  be  broken.  The  Utah  Magazine 
and  the  Daily  Salt  Lake  Tribune  aided  them  in  their 
crusade  against  polygamy.  This  organ  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  expose  the  guilt  of  the  priesthood  and  the 
crimes  committed  in  the  name  of  the  Mormon  religion. 
It  also  exposed  the  mysterious  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Endowment  House,  where  all  polygamous  mar- 
riages were  solemnized,  as  told  by  Mrs.  Richards  in 
her  confession. 

A  short  distance  east  of  the  Endowment  House 
and  across  the  street  is  a  small  cemetery  surrounded 
by  a  low  iron  railing  fence,  which  was  the  private 
burying  ground  of  the  high  officials  of  the  Mormon 
Church  and  their  families.  In  place  of  upright  monu- 
ments the  graves  were  covered  with  flat  white  stones, 
the  inscriptions  being  on  top. 

117 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  MOUNTAIN  MEADOW  MASSACRE — AN  ENTIRE 
WAGON  TRAIN  WIPED  OUT 

Brigham  Young  seemed  to  lose  his  power  and 
influence  in  the  Church  after  the  Mountain  Meadows 
massacre.  This  happened  previously  to  the  disrup- 
tion in  the  Church  and  was,  indeed,  one  of  the  main 
causes  of  the  trouble.  Brigham  Young  was  supposed 
to  be  one  of  the  main  instigators  of  that  awful  crime. 
The  following  is  the  report  of  the  massacre  taken  from 
the  Utah  Magazine : 

"In  the  summer  of  1857  a  train  of  emigrants  from 
Arkansas,  on  their  way  to  California,  entered  Salt 
Lake  City.  It  was  perhaps  the  wealthiest  and  most 
populous  train  that  ever  entered  the  valley,  bound 
for  California.  It  numbered  nearly  one  hundred 
fifty  persons,  men,  women  and  children ;  four  hundred 
head  of  cattle  and  seventy-five  horses.  It  was  a  rich 
train  and  carried  money,  jewelry,  household  goods, 
pianos,  books,  and  fireside  penates,  with  which  to  add 
comfort  and  beauty  to  their  new  homes  on  the  Pacific. 

"They  were  told  that  snows  on  the  Sierras  would 
prevent  their  passage  by  the  northern  route.  They, 
therefore,  resolved  to  pass  down  through  the  southern 
settlements  of  Utah,  and  enter  California  by  the 
southern  route.  It  was  not  only  a  wealthy  train  but 

118 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

a  highly  respectable,  peaceable,  and  Christian  people, 
who  frequently  held  religious  services. 

"  Hitherto,  Salt  Lake  City  had  been  the  great 
recruiting  station  on  the  barren  road  to  California. 
Jaded  and  weary  trains  of  men  and  animals  found 
rest  and  recuperation  in  this  oasis  of  the  desert  high- 
way. To  their  great  surprise,  this  Arkansas  train 
found,  on  reaching  Salt  Lake  City,  that  nothing  could 
be  procured  from  the  Mormons  for  love  nor  money. 
Their  gold  and  silver,  their  cattle,  nor  aught  that  they 
possessed,  could  purchase  sufficient  food  to  keep  them 
from  starvation.  Not  only  were  they  denied  food  but 
rest.  They  were  peremptorily  ordered  to  break  camp 
on  the  Jordan  and  depart  from  Salt  Lake  City. 
Wearily  they  passed  down  through  the  villages  that 
blossomed  at  the  foot  of  the  Wasatch,  each  proving  as 
inhospitable  as  the  other. 

"The  corn  had  ripened,  the  grain  had  all  been 
harvested,  every  granary  was  filled  to  repletion,  for 
the  year  had  been  exceptionally  prolific;  yet  money 
had  lost  its  purchasing  power,  for  everywhere  food 
was  denied.  At  American  Fork,  Battle  Creek,  Provo, 
Springville,  Spanish  Pork,  Payson,  Nephi,  and  Fill- 
more  City  they  received  the  same  harsh  treatment. 
And,  not  until  their  arrival  in  Cedar  City  in  a  fam- 
ished condition  were  they  able  to  obtain  a  pound  of 
grain  for  man  or  beast.  The  command  of  authority 
had  preceded  them.  The  second  in  command  of  the 
church,  George  A.  Smith,  the  Prophet's  first  coun- 
selor, had  preached  to  the  Mormons  in  every  settle- 
no 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

ment,  and,  under  pain  of  excommunication,  had 
forbidden  them  to  sell  food  or  grain  to  the  starving 
emigrants.  At  Cedar  City,  however,  they  managed 
to  obtain  sixty  bushels  of  corn,  which  they  had 
ground  into  meal  at  the  mill.  They  then  pushed  on 
to  the  Mountain  Meadows  to  recruit  their  stock  before 
crossing  the  desert. 

"While  encamped  upon  the  grassy  knolls  at  Cane 
Springs,  they  were  suddenly  attacked  by  what  they 
presumed  to  be  a  large  body  of  Indians,  who  killed 
ten  of  their  number  and  ran  off  their  grazing  stock. 
But,  forming  a  cordon  of  their  wagons,  behind  which 
they  fought  desperately,  each  emigrant  being  well 
armed,  they  kept  the  enemy  at  bay  for  five  days. 
Every  attempt  to  obtain  water  was  met  by  slaughter. 
Two  little  girls,  dressed  in  pure  white,  were  sent 
down  to  the  spring.  Hand  in  hand  they  proceeded  on 
their  way,  the  way  of  death,  for  their  tender  inno- 
cence did  not  protect  them;  their  little  bodies  were 
riddled  with  bullets.  A  woman  that  attempted  to 
milk  a  cow  that  had  approached  their  inclosure  was 
instantly  shot  to  death. 

"Unable  to  succeed  by  assault,  these  pseudo  Indians 
now  determined  upon  wicked  strategy.  The  affidavit 
of  the  apostate  Mormon  Bishop,  Philip  Klingen 
Smith,  relates  that  a  regular  military  council  was 
held  in  the  town  of  Parowan,  at  which  were  present 
President  Isaac  C.  Haight,  Colonel  Dame,  command- 
ing the  Mormon  Military  Regiment,  which  had  been 
called  out  to  do  the  bloody  work;  Bishop  John  D. 

120 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Lee,  its  Major ;  Bishop  Kigbee  and  George  A.  Smith. 
John  D.  Lee  was  also  Indian  agent  for  southern  Utah 
and  he  invited  bands  of  Pahutes  and  Pahvents  to 
accompany  him  in  the  cruel  butchery  to  take  place. 
It  was  planned  that  a  flag  of  truce  should  be  borne 
by  white  men,  to  offer  to  negotiate  terms  with  the 
Indians  and  thus  gain  the  confidence  of  the  besieged. 
Accordingly  a  wagon  containing  white  men  with  a 
white  flag  made  its  appearance  before  the  lines  of  the 
besieged,  who,  beholding  the  faces  of  white  men, 
hailed  it  with  joy.  This  wagon  contained  J.  B. 
Haight,  John  D.  Lee,  Bishop  Eigbee  and  other 
Mormon  dignitaries.  They  stated  that  they  had  come 
to  offer  aid  to  the  emigrants  and  intercede  in  their 
behalf  with  the  Indians,  if  they  so  desired.  This  offer 
was  gladly  accepted  and  the  Mormons  departed. 

"They  returned  soon  after  with  the  ultimatum  of 
the  Indians,  that  the  emigrants  should  surrender  all 
of  their  arms  and  property  and  return  to  the  settle- 
ments the  way  they  came.  In  case  they  accepted 
these  hard  conditions  the  Mormons  promised  to  con- 
duct them  safely  to  the  settlements.  Placing  implicit 
reliance  in  the  good  will  and  intentions  of  the  Mor- 
mons, who  were  known  to  be  at  peace  with  the  Indian 
tribes,  cruel  as  were  the  terms,  they  were  accepted 
by  the  famished  emigrants;  and,  surrendering  their 
arms  and  other  property,  they  started  on  their  march 
to  the  grave ! 

"The  arms,  the  wounded,  and  the  children  were 
placed  in  two  wagons  driven  by  Mormons.  Behind 

121 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

them  came  the  women  marching  in  single  file ;  a  little 
back  of  them,  the  starved  and  worn  out  men;  and, 
immediately  in  their  rear,  a  guard  of  sixty  Mormon 
militia.  A  mile  from  the  Spring  the  road  ran  through 
a  thicket  of  scrub  oak  and  many  rocks  intercepted 
their  way.  Here,  by  previous  agreement,  lay  a  band 
of  Indians  in  am'bush.  At  this  moment,  Lee,  who 
marched  between  the  wagons,  discharged  his  gun, 
killing,  it  is  said,  a  woman.  It  was  the  signal  for  the 
massacre.  The  Indians  sprang  suddenly  from  behind 
the  rocks  and  bushes,  and,  together  with  the  Mormon 
guard,  began  the  work  of  horrible  massacre.  Old 
men  and  young,  pitia'ble  women  with  babes  in  their 
arms,  youths  and  maidens,  all  were  alike  butchered 
by  the  remorseless  red  and  white  demons.  Hell  hath 
no  record  upon  its  avenging  pages  that  can  compare 
with  this  unpitying  crime.  The  prayers  of  men,  the 
tears  and  wails  of  women  fell  upon  unheeding  ears. 
Sick  mothers,  too  ill  to  leave  the  wagons,  were 
dragged  therefrom  and  their  throats  cut  from  ear  to 
ear.  Little  girls  were  slaughtered  like  sheep  in  the 
shambles,  and  venerable  gray-haired  clergymen  while 
kneeling  in  prayer.  The  fury  of  perdition  seemed  to 
seize  upon  the  slayers.  One  young  man,  James  Pierce, 
was  shot  by  his  own  father  for  protecting  a  young, 
beseeching  girl  who  lay  crouched  at  his  feet.  A 
beautiful  young  girl  threw  herself  into  the  arms  of 
the  son  of  John  D.  Lee,  who  attempted  to  shield 
her  with  his  own  body.  His  inhuman  father  bent  his 
head  aside  and  plunged  his  dripping  dagger  into  her 
young  heart.  All  of  the  little  children  were  killed 

122 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

save  those  too  young  to  remember.  Such  was  the 
order.  Fifteen  alone  survived,  the  eldest  but  two 
and  a  half  years  old. 

"In  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  one  hundred 
twenty-eight  men,  women  and  children,  unarmed 
and  defenseless,  weak,  weary,  worn  and  famished, 
were  butchered  by  those  inhuman  monsters  who, 
under  the  guise  of  friendship  and  human  sympathy, 
had  decoyed  them  into  this  terrible  slaughter  pen. 

"  Eight  days  after  the  massacre  people  who  visited 
the  field  of  death  saw  the  bodies  of  the  slain  strewn 
upon  the  ground  and  heaped  in  piles.  Some  were 
stabbed,  many  shot,  while  others,  principally  women, 
had  their  throats  cut.  The  wolves  and  ravens  had 
lacerated  the  bodies  of  all  save  one,  that  of  a  beauti- 
ful, well-formed  woman  with  long  flowing  locks  of 
hair.  For  some  unexplained  reason  her  body  had 
escaped  the  print  of  wolves'  teeth.  A  single  bullet 
had  pierced  her  side.  There  was  no  clothing  left  on 
any  of  the  bodies,  save  one  torn  stocking  which  clung 
to  the  ankle  of  one  of  the  men ;  their  bloody  clothing 
having  been  torn  from  their  mutilated  bodies  and 
sold  at  auction  by  the  order  of  the  church  authorities 
at  Cedar  City,  Utah. 

"Most  of  the  bodies  had  been  thrown  into  three 
piles,  distant  two  and  a  half  rods  from  each  other. 
The  most  significant  fact  connected  with  the  dead 
was  that  not  a  scalp  was  taken.  Those  acquainted 
with  Indian  character  know  full  well  their  savage 
instincts.  After  a  continuous  battle  of  five  days, 
resulting  finally  in  the  capture  and  slaughter  of  their 

123 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

foe,  does  it  hold  to  reason  that  not  a  scalp  should  be 
taken?  The  inference  follows  swift  and  sure.  Had 
revenge  been  their  object,  scalps  would  have  been 
taken.  As  it  was,  not  a  trace  of  the  scalping  knife 
could  'be  discovered." 

For  the  whole  year  following,  this  revolting  crime 
was  kept  secret,  locked  up  within  the  mountain  walls 
of  the  Territory.  When  finally  their  bodies  were 
discovered  and  the  ghastly  deed  made  known,  it 
sent  a  thrill  of  horror  throughout  the  world.  When 
secrecy  was  no  longer  available  the  Mormons  de- 
clared it  to  be  the  work  of  savages.  Brigham  Young, 
as  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  in  the  Territory, 
sent  a  report  to  the  Department  at  Washington 
alleging  it  to  be  the  work  of  hostile  Indians. 

It  was  declared  to  be  the  organized  work  of  Mor- 
mon authorities,  who  sought  'to  revenge  themselves 
upon  the  -people  of  Arkansas  for  the  killing  of  Parley 
B.  Pratt  by  McLean,  whose  wife  Pratt  had  succeeded 
in  proselyting  and  who  afterwards  ^became  one  of 
his  wives  at  Salt  Lake  City.  Pining  for  her  children, 
she  induced  Pratt  to  accompany  her  back  to 
Arkansas  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  them  from  her 
husband;  but  who,  incensed  at  the  robbery  of  his 
wife  and  the  attempted  abduction  of  his  children,  fell 
upon  Pratt  and  killed  him  while  he  was  trying  to 
escape. 

The  little  children  whose  lives  had  been  spared 
were,  two  years  after,  by  the  order  of  the  United 
States  authorities,  gathered  from  the  Mormon  fami- 
lies in  which  they  had  been  placed  and  sent  to  their 

124 


Wild    Life   in    tlie   Rocky   Mountains 

friends  at  home.  Two  years  after  the  Mountain 
Meadow  massacre  the  United  States  government 
established  a  military  camp  north  of  the  city  on  a 
high  bench  overlooking  the  city,  which  was  named 
Camp  Douglass,  at  which  camp  a  regiment  of  soldiers 
was  stationed  under  the  command  of  General  Con- 
nors. After  this  fewer  murders  were  committed  in 
the  Territory.  Seldom,  if  ever,  was  an  emigrant 
train  attacked  and  robbed,  which  the  Mormons  had 
always  claimed  was  done  by  the  Indians.  Brigham 
Young's  "Destroying  Angels"  seemed  to  go  out 
of  business. 

The  Mormon  General  Conference,  which  convenes 
twice  a  year,  was  in  session  the  week  that  Thomas  and 
party  were  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Large  numbers  of 
Mormons  were  in  attendance  from  all  parts  of  the 
Territory.  Much  information  was,  therefore,  gained 
by  them  in  regard  to  Mormonism  and  of  Brigham 
Young  and  his  numerous  wives. 

Brigham  Young,  the  Prophet  and  President  of  the 
Mormon  Church,  also  the  Governor  of  the  Territory 
of  Utah,  was  a  large,  broad-shouldered  man  five  feet 
eight  or  ten  inches  in  height.  He  had  a  large  head 
and  wore  a  full  beard.  He  looked  to  be  a  man  of 
strong  will,  not  easily  excited  or  discouraged.  When 
seen  on  the  street  he  looked  different  from  most  of 
the  Mormon  officials,  especially  in  his  dress.  He  wore 
a  tall  silk  hat  and  black  cloth  clothes.  He  wore  a 
gold  watch  and  chain,  and  walked  with  a  large  gold- 

125 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

headed  cane.  When  he  stopped  to  talk  with  anyone 
on  the  street  he  seemed  to  rest  on  his  cane. 

It  was  reported  that  he  had  over  thirty  wives; 
eighteen  of  them  were  his  lawful  and  wedded  wives. 
They  were  young  women  in  years,  ranging  from  six- 
teen to  thirty.  The  rest  of  his  wives  were  older 
women,  who  were  sealed  to  him.  Most  of  them  were 
widows  of  Mormon  officials.  He  was  said  to  have  a 
wife  in  nearly  every  town  in  the  Territory.  "While 
traveling  and  attending  to  church  and  official  duties, 
therefore,  he  could  be  at  home  with  one  of  his  wives 
every  night.  It  was  said  that  he  had  over  one  hundred 
children  in  his  different  homes. 

In  traveling  through  the  Territory  of  Utah,  we 
found  that  there  were  not  as  many  polygamous  mar- 
riages as  had  been  reported.  The  number  that  were 
reported  were  among  the  wealthy  class  and  the  high 
officials  of  the  church.  They  were  required  to  pay  a 
certain  amount  of  tithing  each  year.  Those  who  were 
not  able  to  pay  that  amount  were  not  considered  able 
to  support  more  than  one  family.  There  seemed  to  be 
much  dissatisfaction  and  jealousy  in  most  polygamous 
families.  The  first  wife  seemed  to  have  control  of 
everything  belonging  to  the  family.  The  other  wives 
could  not  buy  or  sell  without  her  consent. 

Thomas  and  Woodbury  attended  the  Mormon 
Conference  and  Brigham  Young's  Theatre.  The 
Tabernacle  being  too  small  to  hold  the  large  number 
of  saints  who  attended  the  meetings,  a  place  was 
prepared  for  out-of-door  meetings  along  and  east  of 

126 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

the  Tabernacle.  Seats  for  several  thousand  people 
were  prepared.  A  covering  for  shade  was  constructed 
out  of  forks,  poles  and  pine  branches.  At  the  north 
end  of  the  ground,  a  stand  was  erected  large  enough 
to  seat  all  of  the  officials  and  the  twelve  apostles  of 
the  church. 

Brigham  Young  being  indisposed,  Heber  C.  Kimble, 
the  vice-president,  presided  and  made  the  first  talk. 
He  did  not  announce  any  text,  and  his  talk  was 
mainly  abusing  the  Gentiles  and  lauding  the  saints. 
It  was  more  like  a  political  meeting  than  a  religious 
gathering.  When  he  became  tired  of  abusing  the  Gen- 
tiles and  commenced  praising  the  saints,  his  talk  was 
frequently  interrupted  by  "amens"  from  the  entire 
congregation.  One  old  lady,  apparently  about  four 
score  and  ten  years  of  age,  in  order  to  make  it  more 
emphatic,  arose  to  her  feet  to  say  "amen,"  which  she 
repeated  several  times. 

All  of  those  who  do  not  belong  to  the  Mormon 
Church  are  Gentiles.  All  of  the  speakers  who  fol- 
lowed Kimble  spoke  along  the  same  lines.  The 
speakers  frequently  asked  those  present  to  sanction 
what  they  said  by  saying  "amen,"  which  they 
heartily  did. 

The  people  at  the  Theatre  were  much  more  quiet 
during  the  play  and  the  order  much  better  than  at 
the  Conference,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  strict  rules 
posted  on  the  outside  as  well  as  on  the  inside  of  the 
building.  Police,  moreover,  were  stationed  in  all 
parts  of  the  building.  Tickets  for  seats  in  all  parts 

127 


Wild   Life    in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Of  the  building  were  sold  at  the  uniform  price  of  one 
dollar.  The  play,  given  by  a  New  York  company,  was 
considered  a  good  one. 

Brigham  Young  occupied  his  box  on  the  right  side 
of  the  stage,  and  was  accompanied  by  eight  or  ten 
young  women,  who  were  supposed  to  be  some  of  his 
wives.  Heber  C.  Kimble,  the  vice  president,  occupied 
a  box  on  the  left  side  of  the  stage,  with  a  number  of 
young  women. 


128 


CHAPTER  XVII 

ON  TO  NEW  MINING)  COUNTRY — THROUGH  INDIAN 
TERRITORY 

After  remaining  in  Salt  Lake  City  a  short  time, 
Thomas  and  party  laid  in  a  supply  of  provisions  and 
continued  their  journey  to  the  Idaho  gold  region, 
which  was  five  hundred  miles  north  of  Salt  Lake 
City.  The  first  hundred  miles  was  through  the 
Mormon  settlements  in  the  valleys  of  Salt  Lake  and 
Bear  River. 

The  most  of  the  country  was  under  cultivation. 
The  farms  were  all  supplied  with  irrigating  ditches. 
A  large  portion  of  the  soil  was  sown  in  wheat,  which 
was  in  fine  condition.  A  large  ditch  was  dug  across 
the  highest  part  of  the  land  to  be  irrigated.  This  was 
sometimes  several  miles  in  length;  it  connected  with 
and  received  water  from  the  nearest  river  or  creek. 
A  sufficient  number  of  small  ditches  were  dug  con- 
necting with  the  large  ditch  to  convey  water  across 
the  different  fields  and  moisten  all  of  the  land.  All 
kinds  of  crops  do  better  on  irrigated  land.  Dry 
seasons  do  not  affect  them.  Wheat  sown  on  irrigated 
land  often  yields  fifty  to  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre. 

Two  miles  north  of  Salt  Lake  City,  near  the  bend,  is 
Warm  Lake.  Warm  Lake  is  a  small  fresh  water  lake 
which  receives  its  name  from  the  fact  that  there  are 
a  number  of  boiling  springs  in  and  near  it.  These 

129 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

springs  keep  the  water  warm  winter  and  summer. 
Six  miles  north  of  Warm  Lake,  near  a  point  of  rocks, 
is  a  large  spring  which  boils  up  several  feet  high. 
The  water  from  this  boiling  spring  runs  across  the 
road  and  finds  its  way  to  Warm  Lake.  The  steam 
that  arises  from  the  spring  and  the  stream  leading 
away  from  it  can  be  seen  a  distance  of  several  miles. 
The  water  of  the  spring  had  a  peculiar  odor  and  taste. 
The  Mormons  considered  it  healthful  and  many  of 
them  stopped  in  passing  and  cooled  some  of  it  to 
drink. 

After  passing  a  number  of  small  towns  on  the 
road,  the  party  arrived  at  Box  Elder.  Each  town 
contained  a  schoolhouse,  a  church,  and  a  number  of 
good  buildings.  Box  Elder,  or  Brigham  City  as  it 
was  often  called  on  account  of  the  fact  that  several 
of  Brigham 's  wives  lived  there,  was  the  next  in  size 
to  Salt  Lake  City.  Most  of  the  large  buildings  in 
Box  Elder,  as  in  all  of  the  Mormon  towns,  were  built 
of  sun-dried  brick  laid  in  mortar.  The  woodwork 
was  the  same  as  in  burnt  brick  buildings.  Neither 
damp  weather  nor  rain  seemed  to  affect  the  walls. 
They  were  considered  almost  as  durable  as  buildings 
built  of  burnt  brick. 

When  the  party  arrived  at  Box  Elder  they  were 
informed  that  the  Bannock  Indians  were  on  the  war- 
path. The  news  had  just  been  received  that  a  train 
which  was  on  the  road  to  Oregon  had  been  attacked 
t>y  the  Indians  and  a  number  killed  and  a  part  of 
their  stock  run  off.  The  Mormons  said  that  it  would 

130 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

not  'be  safe  to  travel  through  the  Indian  country  with 
less  than  fifty  well  armed  men.  They  said  that  there 
was  a  company  camped  on  Rock  Creek  north  of  town, 
waiting  for  more  men. 

The  next  day  a  train,  consisting  of  seventeen  wag- 
ons, fifty-five  men,  three  women,  and  two  boys,  was 
made  up  at  Camp  Creek.  The  boys  claimed  that  they 
were  large  enough  to  shoot  Indians.  A  meeting  was 
called,  before  the  train  started,  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  and  electing  a  captain.  Dawson,  who  had 
had  experience  with  Kit  Carson  in  Indian  warfare, 
was  chosen  captain.  Dawson  immediately  took  com- 
mand of  the  train  and  explained  how  he  expected  to 
conduct  the  train  and  what  he  expected  of  each  man 
belonging  to  the  train.  Every  man  who  expected 
to  go  with  the  train  must  arm  himself  with  a  good 
gun  and  two  hundred  rounds  of  ammunition.  In 
addition  each  one  should  have  a  navy  revolver  or  a 
six-shooter  of  some  kind,  as  that  would  be  what 
they  should  need  to  protect  themselves  from  an 
attack  o'f  Indians,  robbers,  or  wild  beasts. 

The  captain  took  the  names  of  all  of  the  men  who 
belonged  to  the  train  and  divided  them  into  two 
divisions.  One  man  from  each  division  was  selected 
as  lieutenant,  whose  duty  it  was  to  command  his 
division  under  the  supervision  of  the  captain.  In 
case  of  an  Indian  attack,  the  first  division  was  to 
do  the  shooting.  They  were  not  to  shoot  in  haste, 
however,  or  without  seeing  an  Indian.  As  soon  as 
their  guns  were  empty,  the  second  division  was  to 
shoot,  the  first  division  meanwhile  loading  their  guns, 

131 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

By  so  doing  the  Indians  would  not  be  able  to  take 
advantage  of  the  fact  that  all  of  their  guns  were 
empty  at  the  same  time. 

The  captain  said  that  he  intended  to  have  twelve 
men  on  guard  every  night  after  reaching  the  Indian 
country.  Six  of  the  twelve  were  to  be  on  guard  from 
dark  until  midnight,  and  six  from  midnight  to  day- 
light. Four  of  the  six  would  be  picket  guards  sta- 
tioned a  short  distance  from  the  camp  in  four  differ- 
ent directions.  Two  of  the  six  would  be  corral 
guards  stationed  at  and  around  the  camp.  If  either 
of  the  picket  guards  noticed  Indians  approaching  the 
camp  they  would  fire  their  guns,  thus  giving  the 
alarm  to  the  corral  guards,  whose  duty  it  would  be 
to  alarm  the  camp. 

The  captain  pointed  out  the  fact  that,  at  certain 
places  along  the  route  they  would  pass  near  brush 
and  rocks,  points  of  grave  danger  because  of  the 
possibility  of  an  ambush.  Four  young  men,  who 
owned  ponies,  therefore,  were  selected  to  ride  ahead 
of  the  train  to  look  out  for  Indians  who  might  be 
lying  in  amfoush  at  such  places.  They  were  to  be 
exempt  from  camp  duty  at  night. 

In  traveling  during  the  day  the  first  division,  with 
the  exception  of  the  drivers,  were  to  walk  on  the 
right  side  of  the  train  near  the  wagon  to  which  they 
belonged ;  the  second  division  on  the  left  side  of 
the  train. 

"The  Indians,"  said  the  captain,  "are  as  afraid  of 
being  killed  as  we  are,  if  not  more  so.  They  seldom 
make  an  attack  unless  they  have  the  advantage. 

132 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

They  will  be  watching  us  from  the  high  m'ountains. 
They  will  know  how  many  men  we  have  and  how 
well  we  are  armed  and  prepared.  They  will  also 
know  how  we  stand  guard.  The  most  of  the  trains 
that  have  been  attacked  were  poorly  armed  and 
unprepared.'' 

The  captain  said  in  closing  that  he  would  expect 
every  man  to  do  his  duty  and  stand  on  guard  when- 
ever it  became  his  turn  to  do  so.  He  said  that,  with 
the  number  of  men  (belonging  to  the  train,  each  man 
would  be  on  guard  only  six  hours  every  fourth  night, 
which  would  be  just  often  enough  to  make  it  inter- 
esting. 

The  route  from  Box  Elder  to  the  gold  region  was 
by  way  of  Bear  River,  Maladd  Valley,  Bannock 
Mountains,  and  Snake  River.  They  traveled  in  the 
direction  of  the  Three  Buttes  and  west  of  Fremont's 
Peak.  These  peaks,  which  were  noted  peaks  belong- 
ing to  the  main  range  of  mountains,  served  as  guides 
to  all  that  passed  through  that  part  of  the  moun- 
tains. 

The  road  from  Box  Elder  to  Bear  River  lay  near 
the  mountains  and  through  timber  a  part  of  the  way. 
The  country  was  not  well  settled  or  improved.  Most 
of  the  buildings  were  built  of  round  logs.  Less  than 
half  of  the  country  was  under  cultivation.  Most  of 
the  cultivated  land  was  sown  to  wheat  and  barley, 
which  seemed  to  be  in  fine  condition.  The  Bear 
River  settlement  was  the  last  settlement  on  the  route. 

The  road  crossed  Bear  River,  the  largest  river 
crossed  in  Utah  Territory,  about  fifteen  miles  from 

133 


Wild   Life   in    the   Roc~ky   Mountains 

where  it  emptied  into  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  The 
train  crossed  the  river  on  a  rope  ferry.  The  boat  was 
just  large  enough  to  take  one  wagon  and  team,  for 
which  one  dollar  was  charged.  Twenty-five  cents  a 
head  was  charged  for  all  loose  stock  and  ten  cents 
for  each  person.  When  the  boatload  of  stock  was 
just  about  halfway  across  one  of  the  cattle  got 
frightened  and  jumped  out.  The  current  carried  it 
down  stream  so  rapidly  that  all  that  could  'be  seen 
was  its  head  floating  on  the  water.  It  floated  out  of 
sight  and  everyone  thought  that  it  was  lost.  It 
scrambled  out  on  the  bank  down  below,  however, 
and  returned. 

A  rope  ferry  is  constructed  by  setting  a  post  deep 
in  the  ground  on  the  bank  of  the  river  to  which  is 
fastened  a  large  cable  or  rope.  This  cable  is  stretched 
across  the  river  and  fastened  to  a  similar  post  on  the 
opposite  bank.  The  boat  and  cable  are  connected  with 
ropes  and  pulleys. 

As  soon  as  the  train  had  crossed  Bear  River  it  was 
supposed  to  be  in  the  Indian  Country.  The  first  day 
was  cloudy  with  a  mist  of  rain  the  entire  day.  An 
early  camp  was  made  in  order  to  give  the  stock  time 
to  feed.  It  was  one  of  the  rules  of  the  train  to  have 
all  of  the  stock  in  the  corral  before  dark  and  all  fires 
and  lights  extinguished.  The  first  guard  was  then 
stationed.  They  were  the  first  twelve  men  on  the 
captain's  list.  The  night  was  very  dark  and  foggy. 

The  captain  went  around  to  every  wagon  and  tent 
between  two  and  three  o'clock  and  told  the  occupants 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

that  Indian  signs  had  been  heard.  He  said  that 
Indians,  before  they  made  an  attack,  always  made 
signs  to  each  other,  sometimes  imitating  a  bird  or 
animal.  He  wanted  everyone  to  be  up  and  ready  at 
a  moment's  warning,  for  they  were  apt  to  be  attacked 
before  daylight.  To  be  awakened  from  a  sound  sleep 
and  constantly  expecting  an  attack  by  the  Indians  so 
early  in  the  morning  caused  great  excitement  in  the 
camp.  Notwithstanding  this,  however,  everyone  was 
up  and  ready  to  do  his  duty.  They  waited  for  the 
Indians  until  after  daylight  but  the  alarm  proved  to 
be  a  false  one  and  the  Indians  failed  to  appear.  It 
was  thought  by  several  that  the  alarm  was  a  ruse  of 
the  captain's  for  the  purpose  of  initiating  his  men 
and  to  serve  as  a  drill  to  prepare  them  for  the  excite- 
ment of  an  attack  should  they  be  attacked  by  Indians 
in  the  future. 


185 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

SAVED  BY  INDIANS — A  RICH  DISCOVEKY — AN 
INDIAN  WEDDING 

The  fourth  day  after  leaving  Bear  Eiver  the  train 
arrived  in  Maladd  Valley,  one  of  the  finest  and  rich- 
est valleys  in  the  mountains.  It  was  at  one  time 
settled  by  the  Mormons.  Their  settlement,  however, 
was  of  short  duration.  The  Indians  stole  their  stock 
and  often  attacked  their  settlement.  They  were, 
therefore,  compelled  to  leave  the  country.  Many  of 
their  sod  houses  were  still  standing.  They  had  been 
built  in  the  form  of  a  circle  and  joined  together. 
The  land  which  they  had  once  cultivated  was  covered 
with  weeds  and  brush. 

The  train  camped  in  the  valley  about  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon  in  order  to  let  the  stock  feed  on  the 
tall  green  grass.  Maladd  Valley  was  from  five  to  ten 
miles  wide  and  nearly  thirty  miles  in  length.  The 
low  mountains  bordering  the  valley  on  either  side 
were  covered  with  grass  and  small  timber.  The  entire 
valley  was  thickly  carpeted  with  grass  and  flowers  of 
different  colors,  making  the  valley  a  thing  of  beauty. 
Everyone  in  and  around  the  camp  seemed  to  enjoy 
the  beautiful  landscape  and  scenery  which  surrounded 
them  on  all  sides. 

Their  pleasure  and  enjoyment,  however,  was  soon 
changed  to  trouble  and  sorrow.  The  valley  was 
watered  by  a  large  creek.  The  size  of  the  creek  and 

136 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

its  clear  water  made  it  a  good  stream  for  mountain 
trout.  Soon  after  the  train  stopped  to  camp,  there- 
fore, a  number  of  the  train  were  to  be  seen  on  the 
bank  of  the  stream  fishing  for  trout.  As  soon  as 
Thomas  finished  his  camp  work  he  started  down  the 
creek  to  fish.  A  short  distance  from  camp  he  came 
upon  two  young  men  of  the  camp  who  were  washing 
and  eating  the  roots  of  a  mountain  plant.  Quite  a 
large  bunch  of  the  roots  lay  near  them  on  the  ground 
which  they  said  they  had  dug  and  washed  to  take  to 
camp.  They  offered  Thomas  some  of  the  roots.  He 
declined,  however,  saying  that  he  was  not  in  the  habit 
of  eating  roots  without  knowing  what  kind  of  roots 
they  were.  One  of  the  young  men  said  they  were  wild 
celery  roots  and  that  there  were  plenty  of  them  in 
York  State,  where  he  had  been  raised.  Thomas 
reminded  him  that  he  was  a  long  way  from  York 
State  and  that  he  might  be  mistaken.  He  said  that 
he  did  not  think  that  he  was,  for  they  looked  like  wild 
celery  and  tasted  like  it. 

Thomas  went  on  down  the  creek  and  commenced 
fishing  below  a  riffle  or  fall  in  the  water,  which  is 
always  the  best  place  to  fish  for  trout.  He  had  been 
fishing  a  half  an  hour  or  more  and  had  caught  a 
number  of  fish,  some  of  them  a  foot  or  more  in  length, 
when  he  noticed  two  young  men  coming  from  camp. 
They  seemed  to  be  in  a  hurry  and  were  walking  very 
fast.  When  opposite  the  place  where  Thomas  was 
fishing,  one  of  them  gave  a  very  loud  groan  and  fell 
to  the  ground  in  a  fit. 

137 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Thomas  told  Woodbury,  who  was  fishing  near  him, 
that  one  of  the  boys  had  a  fit  and  that  they  ought  to 
go  out  and  see  if  they  could  be  of  any  assistance  to 
him.  When  they  got  to  them  the  one  on  the  ground 
was  in  convulsions.  The  other  said  that  he  had  been 
poisoned  by  eating  wild  parsnips  and  that  they  had 
started  out  to  milk  a  cow  to  get  some  milk  for  him  to 
drink.  As  soon  as  the  sick  man  revived  enough  to 
talk,  he  complained  of  severe  pains  in  his  stomach 
and  wanted  to  be  taken  to  camp.  The  three  started 
with  him  to  camp.  When  nearly  there  he  went  into 
convulsions  a  second  time  and  had  to  be  laid  on  the 
ground. 

Thomas  went  on  to  camp  to  consult  a  young  doctor 
who  belonged  to  the  train.  The  other  young  man, 
whom  Thomas  had  seen  on  the  bank  of  the  stream 
washing  and  eating  the  roots,  was  found  to  be  in  a 
dying  condition.  A  number  of  others  were  sick.  The 
doctor  said  that  he  did  not  have  any  medicine  with 
him  that  was  an  antidote  for  poison,  but  he  recom- 
mended milk  and  strong  coffee.  The  only  cow  that 
belonged  to  the  train  was  quickly  milked  and  all  of 
the  milk  and  strong  coffee  in  camp  was  given  to 
those  who  had  eaten  of  the  wild  parsnip.  Neither 
the  milk  nor  the  strong  coffee  seemed  to  do  any 
good.  After  all  had  been  done  that  they  could  think 
of  to  help  the  sick,  Indians  were  seen  coming  across 
the  mountains  a  short  distance  from  the  camp.  Not 
knowing  their  number  and  expecting  an  attack,  the 
captain  ordered  all  of  the  men  who  were  able  to  get 

138 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

their  guns.  But,  before  any  of  them  had  time  to  use 
them,  the  Indians  raised  their  hands,  which  was  the 
Indian  sign  of  friendship.  They  were,  therefore,  per- 
mitted to  come  to  camp.  They  were  six  in  number. 
The  chief  of  the  band  could  understand  and  talk 
the  English  language  fairly  well.  On  being  informed 
the  cause  of  the  trouble  he  asked  if  there  was  any 
whiskey  in  camp.  He  said  that  whiskey  was  kept  at 
Snake  River  and  used  for  poison  caused  by  snake 
bites. 

One  man  who  had  eaten  some  of  the  parsnip  said 
that  his  wagon  was  loaded  with  whiskey  which  he 
was  taking  to  the  mines  to  sell.  He  told  them  to  go 
to  his  wagon  and  tap  one  of  his  barrels.  This  was 
soon  done.  The  doctor  stood  near  the  wagon  and 
told  all  those  who  had  eaten  of  the  parsnips  to  come 
and  drink  of  the  whiskey.  A  dozen  or  more  men 
immediately  surrounded  the  doctor.  He  told  them 
that  they  must  drink  enough  to  cause  them  to  feel 
the  effects  of  the  whiskey  'before  the  poison  would 
be  destroyed,  which  they  all  did.  It  was  discovered 
later  that  the  number  of  men  who  had  eaten  of  the 
parsnip  were  only  nine;  one  of  these  was  already 
dead  and  another  dying.  They  were  the  two  who 
had  dug  the  roots  and  eaten  freely  of  them  before 
bringing  them  to  camp.  The  remainder  of  the  after- 
noon and  evening  there  were  drunken  men  in  the 
camp. 

To  the  surprise  of  everyone,  all  of  those  who  had 
eaten  the  parsnip,  with  the  exception  of  the  two  dead 

141 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

men,  were  up  and  ready  for  their  breakfast  and 
remained  up  and  around  camp  all  day,  although  not 
fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  poison — or 
the  antidote. 

After  breakfast  the  captain  called  all  of  the  train 
together  and  told  them  that  they  would  not  leave 
camp  until  the  next  morning.  He  requested  them  all 
to  meet  at  ten  o'clock  at  the  grave  which  had  been 
dug  for  their  dead  comrades  near  the  camp.  At  the 
appointed  hour  fifty-eight  persons  surrounded  the 
grave.  The  six  Indians  also  stood  in  a  group  near  by. 
The  bodies  of  the  dead  men,  wrapped  in  their 
blankets,  were  brought  and  lowered  side  by  side  to 
the  bottom  of  the  grave.  Some  fine  brush  and  plants 
were  spread  over  their  bodies.  It  was  a  sad  occasion 
for  all  to  think  of  burying  and  leaving  two  of  their 
comrades  in  a  lonely  grave  in  the  mountains  many 
miles  from  any  settlement  or  habitation.  Mr.  Simp- 
son, a  middle-aged  man,  stood  at  the  head  of  the 
grave  and  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible,  after  which  a 
hymn  was  sung,  in  which  part  of  the  service  quite  a 
number  took  part.  After  the  singing  all  remained 
silent  until  the  last  shovelful  of  dirt  had  been  placed 
on  the  grave.  A  'board  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
grave  during  the  afternoon,  on  which  was  the  fol- 
lowing inscription : 

"Jesse  Green  of  York  State,  aged  twenty- three." 
"Peter  Marsales  of  Missouri,  aged  twenty-six." 
"Died  of  poison  caused  by  eating  wild  parsnip, 
April  20,  1863." 

142 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

The  captain  ordered  the  grave  covered  with  stones. 
Most  of  the  graves  in  the  mountains  were  covered 
with  stones  to  keep  wild  animals  from  burrowing 
and  digging  in  the  graves. 

That  the  band  of  Indians  who  had  come  to  the 
camp  had  been  the  means  of  saving  the  lives  of  a 
number  of  the  train  instead  of  killing  them,  seemed 
a  miracle.  Yet  Indians  are  strange  beings.  One 
tribe  may  be  friendly,  while  another  tribe  may  be 
hostile  and  on  the  war  path.  All  who  travel  through 
their  country  must  be  on  their  guard  day  and  night. 
Red  Cloud,  the  chief  of  the  band  of  Indians  who  had 
come  to  the  camp,  said  that  they  belonged  to  the 
Shoshone  or  Snake  Tribe  of  Indians  and  that  they 
were  on  their  way  home  from  Salt  Lake  City,  where 
they  had  had  a  talk  with  Brigham  Young,  the 
Indian  agent.  He  said  that  their  camp  was  on  the 
Snake  River  near  the  ferry  where  the  train  would 
cross  the  river. 

The  captain  invited  Red  Cloud  and  his  band  of 
Indians  to  travel  with  the  train.  He  promised  them 
that  the  train  would  furnish  them  with  provisions 
until  they  arrived  at  the  Snake  River  Ferry,  and,  for 
the  benefit  the  train  had  received  from  them  the 
train  would  make  up  a  donation  for  them.  Red 
Cloud  accepted  the  captain's  offer.  He  said,  how- 
ever, that  he  and  his  band  did  not  expect  anything 
for  what  they  had  done  for  the  train ;  that  the  pleas- 
ure of  knowing  that  they  had  been  the  means  of 
saving  a  number  of  lives  was  pay  enough,  and  big 

143 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

pay.  A  donation  of  more  than  fifty  dollars,  the 
amount  to  be  given  to  the  Indians  in  provisions  when 
they  arrived  at  the  Snake  River  Ferry,  was  soon 
raised  in  the  train. 

The  'captain  asked  Red  Cloud  how  soon  they  would 
be  through  the  Bannock  Indian  country.  He  replied 
that  they  were  almost  through;  that  their  country 
extended  from  the  Bear  River  to  the  Bannock  Moun- 
tains. He  also  said  that  his  tribe's  territory  extended 
from  the  Bannock  Mountains  to  the  Snake  River. 
Each  tribe  claimed  a  certain  amount  of  territory  for 
their  hunting  and  fishing  ground.  One  tribe  was  not 
allowed  to  hunt  and  fish  on  another  tribe's  territory. 
If  they  did,  war  would  be  declared  by  the  tribe  tres- 
passed upon.  Red  Cloud  explained  that  the  war 
would  be  different  from  white  man's  war  in  that, 
instead  of  killing  one  another,  they  would  run  off 
and  steal  each  other's  ponies.  He  said  that  the 
Indians  never  made  war  to  kill  one  another  except 
over  disputed  territory. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  Maladd  Valley  the  train 
arrived  at  the  Bannock  Mountains,  which  consisted 
of  several  ranges  of  low  mountains.  The  mountains 
were  rocky  and  barren  where  the  train  crossed; 
most  of  the  timber  was  scrubby  pine  and  cedar.  The 
route  from  the  Bannock  Mountains  to  Snake  River 
was  over  a  sandy,  barren  country  known  as  the  sage 
brush  country. 

The  sage  brush  stood  from  three  to  five  feet  high 
and  grew  in  large  patches  or  clumps,  often  connected 

144 


Wild    Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

together  by  narrow  belts  of  brush.  At  such  places,  in 
order  to  save  travel,  a  road  was  cut  through  wide 
enough  to  allow  the  train  to  pass  through.  The 
Indians,  who  were  with  the  train,  instead  of  waiting 
till  the  road  was  cut  through,  would  ride  around, 
which  would  be  several  miles  farther. 

The  Indians  did  not  seem  to  know  anything  about 
distance  as  reckoned  by  miles.  Thomas  asked  one  of 
the  Indians  how  far  it  was  to  Snake  River  Ferry. 

He  answered,  " Don't  know.  Mebbe  fifteen  miles, 
mebbe  twenty."  Two  days  later  he  asked  him  the 
same  question  and  was  answered : 

1 '  Don 't  know.    Mebbe  fifteen  miles,  mebbe  twenty. ' ' 

Thomas  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  told  the 
truth  when  he  said  that  he  did  not  know,  for  they 
were  then  over  one  hundred  miles  from  the  Snake 
River  Ferry. 

Two  of  the  Indians  left  the  camp  a  couple  of  days 
before  they  reached  Snake  River  Ferry  and  rode  on 
ahead.  Red  Cloud  said  that  one  of  them  was  to  be 
married  the  first  night  after  the  train  would  arrive 
at  their  camp.  Thomas  asked  him  if  he  had  bought 
his  wedding  clothes  while  in  Salt  Lake  City.  He 
answered  that  Indians  did  not  buy  clothes  to  get 
married  in;  that  they  were  married  in  the  same 
clothes  that  they  wore  before  and  after  the  wedding. 

He  said,  ''The  Indian  is  different  from  the  white 
man.  When  the  white  man  marries,  he  dresses  in  fine 
clothes,  makes  a  big  feast,  and  puts  on  much  dog. ' ' 

The  words,  "Putting  on  the  dog,"  were  often  used 

145 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

among  the  Indians.  This  perhaps  originated  and  was 
used  at  their  dog  feasts.  Eed  Cloud  said  that,  in 
place  of  the  feast,  the  Indian  always  celebrated  the 
marriage  by  the  wedding  dance.  Thomas  asked  him 
about  the  wedding  and  the  dance. 

To  which  he  answered,  ' *  Come  to  the  wedding  and 
you  will  see  and  hear  more  than  I  can  tell  you." 

The  train  was  met  at  Snake  Eiver  Ferry  by  more 
than  fifty  Indians.  The  larger  number  of  them  were 
squaws  and  papooses.  They  had  heard  of  the 
' '  taraves ' '  or  donation  from  the  two  Indians  who  had 
arrived  ahead  of  the  train  and  had  come  to  receive 
it.  The  word  "taraves"  is  used  by  the  Indians  for 
anything  that  pleases  them,  is  useful,  and  for  their 
good.  The  donation  consisted  of  valmost  everything 
useful  for  camp  life,  from  a  sack  of  flour  to  a  box  of 
crackers,  and  from  a  ham  of  meat  to  a  box  of  sar- 
dines. When  the  donation  had  been  brought  from  all 
of  the  different  wagons  and  piled  on  the  ground  in 
front  of  the  Indians,  a  happier  crowd  was  seldom 
seen.  Red  Cloud  made  them  a  speech  which  I  will 
not  attempt  to  repeat.  Many  of  them  danced  for  joy 
while  he  was  talking  and  repeated  the  words, 
"taraves,  taraves." 

All  of  the  papooses  were  in  a  nude  state  without  a 
sign  of  clothes.  Their  brown  skin,  long  hair,  and 
dirty  faces  made  them  appear  more  like  wild  animals 
than  human  beings. 

The  two  white  men  who  owned  the  ferry  informed 
the  captain  of  the  train  that  the  river  was  up,  caused 

146 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

by  the  melting  of  the  snow  in  the  mountains,  and 
that  the  high  water  had  washed  away  the  approaches 
to  the  boat,  and  that  it  would  take  several  days  for 
the  damage  to  be  repaired  so  that  the  train  could  be 
taken  across.  They  asked  the  captain  about  how  soon 
the  next  train  would  arrive.  The  captain  knew  noth- 
ing about  another  train.  They  said  that  the  two 
Indians  who  had  arrived  that  morning  had  told  them 
that  another  train  was  preparing  to  start  when  they 
left  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  captain  replied,  ' '  That  is  news  to  me. ' ' 
Snake  River,  with  its  broad  channel  and  deep 
bottom,  was  the  largest  of  the  three  rivers  that  the 
train  had  to  cross  on  the  route ;  and  the  larger  of  the 
two  rivers  which  formed  the  Columbia.  Most  of 
the  Indians,  who  lived  near  the  ferry,  learned  to 
rtalk  a  part  of  the  English  language  from  the  two 
white  men  who  owned  the  ferry  and  were  married  to 
squaws.  There  was  also  a  French  Canadian  who 
lived  at  their  camp  and  was  married  to  an  Indian 
squaw.  Some  of  the  Indians  were  like  parrots  and 
could  speak  the  words  plainly  without  knowing  their 
meaning  or  how  to  use  them — like  the  Indian  who 
said: 

' i  Don 't  know.  Maybe  fifteen  miles,  maybe  twenty. ' ' 
The  Indian  Camp  was  a  half  mile  or  more  from 
the  ferry.  Soon  after  dark,  Thomas,  together  with  a 
number  of  the  train,  started  for  their  camp  to  attend 
the  wedding.  They,  however,  arrived  at  the  camp  too 
late  for  the  wedding  and  so  did  not  get  to  kiss  the 

147 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

bride.  The  ceremony  was  over  and  the  bride  and 
groom  had  retired  for  the  night  to  their  bridal  cham- 
ber, which  was  a  small  wigwam  closed  up  tight.  The 
camp  was  on  the  river  bottom  near  the  river.  Along 
the  bluffs  for  a  half  mile  or  more  were  the  Indian 
wigwams,  shacks,  and  brush  tents.  The  ground  pre- 
pared for  the  marriage  dance  was,  in  size  and  shape, 
similar  to  a  circus  ring.  In  the  center  of  the  ring  was 
a  block  of  wood  three  or  more  feet  in  length.  Near 
the  ring  were  three  rows  of  peeled  logs  to  be  used  as 
seats.  The  dancers,  forty  or  fifty  in  number,  occupied 
the  two  fronts  rows.  Bed  Cloud  invited  Thomas  and 
party  to  seats  on  the  row  of  logs  back  of  the  Indians. 
The  squaws  occupied  the  front  row  of  logs.  They 
were  all  dressed  in  loose  gowns  reaching  from  their 
shoulders  to  a  short  distance  below  their  knees.  Their 
limbs  were  bare  from  the  bottom  of  their  dresses  to 
their  moccasins.  Their  necks  and  shoulders,  except 
what  was  covered  by  their  long  hair,  was  bare.  The 
warriors  were  all  dressed  in  their  hunting  shirts  and 
knee  breeches  without  stockings. 

When  it  was  time  for  the  dance  to  begin  an  Indian 
came  out  of  a  tent  carrying  a  drum,  which,  in  size 
and  shape,  looked  like  a  huge  nail  keg.  He  took  a 
seat  on  the  block  in  the  center  of  the  ring  and  gave 
several  taps  on  his  drum,  which  brought  two  young 
Indians  out  from  a  wigwam  near  the  bridal  chamber. 
One  of  them  was  a  young  squaw.  They  went  through 
many  foolish  and  silly  motions,  hugging  and  kissing, 
then  retired  to  their  wigwam.  The  Indian  gave  a 

148 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

few  more  taps  on  his  drum,  which  brought  all  of  the 
squaws  into  the  ring.  They  formed  in  line  around 
the  ring,  one  behind  the  other  until  a  complete  circle 
was  formed.  As  soon  as  the  circle  was  complete  the 
Indian  gave  a  few  more  taps  on  his  drum,  which 
brought  the  warriors  into  the  ring.  They  in  turn 
formed  a  circle  outside  of  the  squaws  and  facing  in 
the  opposite  direction.  As  soon  as  all  were  in  posi- 
tion and  ready  to  dance,  the  Indian  began  beating 
on  his  drum.  He  gave  a  low  whoop  or  squeal  which 
was  the  signal  for  the  dance  to  begin.  They  all 
started  around  the  ring,  singing  and  dancing,  the 
warriors  going  one  way,  the  squaws  the  other.  Their 
singing  seemed  tuneless  and  their  dancing  was  a 
style  of  dog  trot.  After  they  had  danced  around 
the  ring  a  number  of  times,  the  Indian  with  the 
drum  gave  a  louder  whoop,  which  caused  them  to 
sing  louder  and  dance  faster.  He  continued  to  give 
whoops  at  intervals,  and  with  each  successive  whoop 
they  increased  their  pace  and  the  volume  of  their 
song.  Finally  he  quit  beating  on  his  drum,  which 
ended  the  first  set  of  the  marriage  dance.  The 
dancers  returned  to  their  seats  to  rest  and  cool  off, 
the  most  of  them  sweating  freely.  Some  of  the 
squaws  wiped  the  perspiration  'from  their  faces  with 
the  bottom  of  their  loose  gowns. 

While  the  dancers  were  resting  for  the  next  set 
Red  Cloud  explained  to  Thomas  and  party  the  mean- 
ing of  the  marriage  dance.  He  said  that  the  two 
young  Indians  who  came  into  the  ring  and  danced 
represented  the  bride  and  groom  before  their  mar- 

149 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

riage.  The  dancing  around  the  ring  in  opposite 
directions  represented  them  after  marriage,  the  war- 
riors dancing  in  one  direction  represented  the  groom 
in  his  occupation  of  hunting  and  fishing,  the  squaws 
dancing  in  the  opposite  direction  represented  the 
bride  engaged  in  her  exclusive  duty  of  taking  care 
of  the  camp.  He  said,  moreover,  that  the  faster 
dancing  and  louder  singing  was  to  represent  how  the 
newly  married  couple's  happiness  would  increase 
during  their  married  life.  He  said  that  the  next  set 
would  be  for  the  squaw  and  would  be  the  same  except 
that  they  would  dance  in  the  other  direction. 

Thomas  noticed  that  there  were  no  Indian  chil- 
dren at  or  near  the  dance.  Neither  were  any  Indians 
present  who  did  not  take  a  part  in  the  dance.  Their 
reason  for  staying  away  was  perhaps  that  they  had 
seen  the  marriage  dance  a  number  of  times  before. 
Thomas  also  noticed  that  there  was  no  loud  laughing 
or  talking  by  any  of  the  Indians  who  took  part  in 
the  dance.  The  Indian  is  different  from  the  white 
man  in  this  respect.  There  is  never  any  loud  talking 
around  any  of  their  camps.  "When  two  or  more  of 
them  are  together  in  any  part  of  the  country  they 
always  converse  in  low  tones  so  that  a  person  never 
knows  when  he  is  near  them  unless  he  sees  them. 
Thomas  and  party  left  when  the  second  set  went  into 
the  ring  to  dance.  They  were  well  pleased  with  what 
they  had  seen  and  heard  about  the  marriage  dance. 

The  Indians  near  the  ferry  spent  most  of  their 
time  fishing.  'They  seemed  to  live  on  fish.  Perhaps 
"Fish"  would  have  been  a  more  suitable  name  for 

150 


Thomas  and  the  Indian  Fishing  in  Snake  River 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

them  than  "Snake."  They  kept  the  train  supplied 
with  fish  while  it  remained  at  the  ferry.  They  did 
not  seem  to  place  much  value  on  their  fish  and  seemed 
willing  to  take  anything  for  them  except  money,  the 
value  of  which  they  did  not  seem  to  know  or  care 
anything  about.  One  of  the  Indians  brought  in  a 
large  string  of  fish  and  offered  to  trade  it  for  a 
fish-hook.  Thomas  told  him  that  he  would  make  a 
poor  trade  if  he  traded  a  whole  string  of  fish  for 
one  fish-hook. 

"Good  trade,  good  trade,"  said  the  Indian.  "In- 
dian catch  much  fish  like  that — pointing  at  the  fish — 
with  hook  and  have  hook  for  more  fish." 

One  of  the  Indians  asked  Thomas  to  go  fishing  with 
him  to  what  he  called  the  big  bend,  as  he  said  that 
that  was  a  good  place  to  fish.  The  water  going 
around  the  bend  kept  the  fish  near  the  bank  of  the 
river.  When  they  commenced  fishing  the  Indian 
seemed  to  have  good  luck,  catching  a  number  of  fish 
before  Thomas  felt  any  fish  at  his  hook. 

The  Indian  said,  "White  man  too  near  the  water. 
Scare  fish  away." 

Thomas  accordingly  moved  back  several  feet — far 
enough  so  that  his  hook  and  line  would  reach  over 
the  bank  to  the  water.  It  was  but  a  short  time  before 
the  fish  began  biting.  Several  times  Thomas  felt  a 
fish  biting  but  when  he  pulled  out  his  hook  he  found 
that  the  fish  had  stolen  his  bait  without  being  caught. 
Some  little  time  passed  and  he  had  only  succeeded  in 
catching  one  small  fish. 

153 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

"  White  man  no  good.  No  fi$h.  Don't  know  how* 
to  fish.  Bring  hook  to  Indian." 

Thomas  gave  him  his  hook.  He  looked  at  it  and 
said: 

" Good  hook." 

He  baited  it  with  a  minnow ;  then,  reaching  up  to 
his  head,  pulled  out  one  of  his  long  'black  hairs. 
This  he  wrapped  a  number  of  times  around  his  bait 
and  hook  and  tied  the  ends  in  a  double  knot.  He 
handed  it  back,  saying  : 

"Indian  bait  hook  and  learn  white  man  how  to 
fish." 

Thomas  had  better  luck  after  the  lesson  and  caught 
a  number  of  fish  without  losing  the  bait.  They  had 
been  fishing  but  a  short  time  when  the  Indian  said : 

"Enough  fish  for  one  day.  Leave  fish  in  river  for 
another  day." 

They  gathered  up  their  fish,  therefore,  and  started 
for  the  train.  The  party  to  whom  the  Indian  sold  his 
fish  weighed  the  largest  one  that  the  Indian  had 
caught  and  told  him  that  it  weighed  nearly  four 
pounds. 

"Much  big  fish  in  river.  Hard  to  catch,"  -said  the 
Indian. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day,  the  men  who 
owned  the  ferry  told  the  captain  of  the  train  that 
the  damage  which  had  been  done  to  the  approaches 
to  the  boat  had  been  repaired  and  that  they  would 
be  ready  to  take  the  train  across  the  river  the  next 
morning.  The  Snake  Kiver  ferry  was  similar  to  the 

154 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Bear  River  ferry,  the  only  difference  being  in  the 
price.  Two  dollars  was  charged  for  a  wagon  and 
team  and  fifty  cents  a  head  for  all  loose  stock,  and 
twenty  cents  for  each  person. 

Red  Cloud  told  the  captain  that  all  of  the  land 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river  belonged  to  the  Crow 
Indians.  That  they  owned  all  of  the  land  between 
the  Snake  River  and  the  gold  country.  That  it  was 
one  of  the  few  tribes  which  still  wore  the  red  and 
yellow  'blankets  and  that  they  were  bad  Indians  and 
would  need  watching. 

The  next  morning  the  Indians,  including  those  who 
had  received  the  donation  from  the  train,  were  all 
there  to  see  the  train  taken  across  the  river.  They 
remained  until  the  last  wagon  and  person  had  been 
taken  across,  which  was  nearly  noon.  When  the  train 
started  from  the  landing  on  the  opposite  bank,  all 
of  the  Indians  along  the  river  for  a  distance  of  sev- 
eral hundred  yards  commenced  waving  their  hands, 
which  was  their  sign  of  friendship  and  good  wishes. 
All  of  the  small  children  likewise  waved  their  little 
hands.  Nearly  all  who  belonged  to  the  train  shouted 
their  good-byes  and  waved  their  hands  to  the  Indians 
on  the  opposite  shore.  Perhaps  there  never  was  such 
a  separation  scene  between  white  men  and  Indians 
before. 


155 


CHAPTER  XIX 

EOAD  AGENTS  AND  DESPERADOES 

The  route,  after  leaving  the  Snake  River  Valley, 
lay  over  the  Lava  Bed  country.  This  country  was  a 
broad,  level  plain  eighty  miles  in  length  and  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  mountains.  A  large  part 
of  the  surface  was  covered  with  rocks  which  had  the 
appearance  of  having  been  burned  and  melted  at 
some  remote  period  of  time.  The  rocks  seemed  to  be 
of  an  iron  formation.  There  was  grass  enough  for 
the  stock  along  the  route  and  a  sufficient  amount  of 
wood  for  camping  purposes.  Water,  however,  was 
very  scarce  and  difficult  to  find  while  traveling  over 
the  lava  beds.  Most  of  the  creeks  and  streams  were 
dry  channels  containing  only  sand  and  gravel,  the 
water  having  evaporated  or  soaked  into  the  sand. 
One  night  the  train  traveled  until  twelve  o'clock 
looking  for  water.  They  did  not  find  it,  however, 
and  so  had  to  make  a  dry  camp. 

At  daybreak  the  next  morning  the  train  left  camp 
in  search  of  water.  After  traveling  about  ten  miles 
they  came  to  a  small  lake  of  clear,  fresh  water.  There 
were  hundreds  of  wild  ducks  swimming  on  the  water. 
They  were  so  numerous  near  the  shore  that  they 
covered  the  water  in  many  places.  They  did  not 
seem  to  bave  any  fear  of  the  approaching  train.  The 
members  of  the  train,  therefore,  were  soon  scattering 

156 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

shot  among  them  from  their  double-barreled  shot- 
guns. Enough  were  killed  in  a  short  time  to  supply 
the  train  so  that  everyone  could  have  a  feast  of  wild 
duck.  The  lake  also  contained  plenty  of  bass  and 
sunfish,  but  as  they  had  become  tired  of  fish  while 
at  the  Indian  camp,  not  much  attention  was  paid  to 
fishing.  The  train  remained  in  camp  near  the  lake 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day  to  let  the  stock  feed 
and  rest. 

At  noon  the  next  day  they  camped  near  a  pool  of 
stagnant  water  found  in  an  otherwise  dry  creek.  The 
water  had  to  be  boiled  before  it  could  be  used  for 
cooking  dinner.  That  night  they  camped  on  another 
small  lake  a  little  larger  than  the  first  one.  There 
were  a  large  number  of  ducks  on  this  lake  also.  Not 
nearly  ®o  many  were  killed,  however,  as  at  the  first 
lake.  They  seemed  to  keep  very  nearly  in  the  center 
of  the  lake  out  of  gunshot  as  much  as  possible.  After 
traveling  four  days  over  the  lava  beds  the  train 
arrived  at  the  foothills  of  the  mountains,  where  they 
camped  near  a  small  stream  of  running  water. 

Soon  after  they  had  made  their  camp,  two  young 
men  were  seen  coming  out  of  the  timber  and  brush. 
They  were  leading  their  horses  and  each  one  was 
armed  with  a  double-barreled  shotgun  and  a  navy 
revolver.  It  wa/s  nearly  dark  and  their  coming  at 
that  hour  and  the  news  that  they  brought  caused  a 
great  deal  of  excitement  in  camp.  They  said  that  the 
Crow  Indians  had  started  on  the  warpath.  They  had 
attacked  the  miners  in  the  Grasshopper  Mining  Camp 
and  driven  them  from  their  camp  to  the  Bannock 

157 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Mining  Camp.  The  miners  at  that  camp  had  hired 
these  two  men  and  had  paid  them  a  thousand  dollars 
in  gold  to  go  to  Salt  Lake  City  for  soldiers.  They 
said  that  the  Crow  Indians  lived  and  spent  most  of 
their  time  in  the  mountain  country.  The  young  men 
said  they  had  been  traveling  at  night  and  hiding  and 
resting  during  the  day.  The  distance  from  there  to 
the  Bannock  Mining  Camp  was  over  ninety  miles  and 
across  a  mountain  country.  They  thought  that  it 
would  not  be  safe  for  such  a  small  train  to  go  on  to 
the  Bannock  Mines  and  advised  them  to  wait  in  camp 
for  another  train  or  reinforcements  of  some  kind. 

The  captain  told  them  that  he  had  heard  while  at 
Snake  River  ferry  that  there  was  another  train  com- 
ing behind  them  and  that  he  would  remain  in  camp 
until  they  arrived,  and  that  when  they  met  the  other 
train  to  tell  the  captain  of  the  train  where  his  camp 
was  to  be  found. 

Soon  after  the  young  men  had  started  on  their 
journey,  the  camp  was  moved  a  short  distance  across 
the  creek  to  the  center  of  a  small  park,  which  was 
surrounded  by  cottonwood  trees.  This  was  consid- 
ered a  better  and  safer  place  for  the  camp.  The 
next  morning  a  number  of  the  largest  of  the  cotton- 
wood  trees  around  the  park  were  cut  down  in  such 
a  way  as  to  form  a  complete  circle  around  the  camp 
and  taking  in  a  part  of  the  creek.  Enough  small 
timber  was  cut  and  brought  to  fill  up  all  of  the  gaps 
and  loose  places  in  the  circle  which  made  a  corral 
large  enough  to  hold  all  of  the  stock.  It  also  served 
as  a  breastwork  or  fort  for  all  that  were  inside.  It 

158 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

was  named  Fort  Cottonwood.  The  picket  guards 
were  doubled  and  station'ed  a  short  distance  from  the 
fort. 

After  remaining  five  days  in  camp,  Captain  Wat- 
terhouse  arrived  late  in  the  evening  with  the  long 
looked  for  train,  which  'consisted  of  fourteen  wagons 
and  forty-eight  well  armed  men.  They  were  all 
armed  with  guns  and  navy  revolvers.  A  part  of 
their  guns  were  double-barreled  shotguns.  The  train 
had  been  made  up  at  Salt  Lake  City  and  most  of  the 
men  were  old  and  experienced  miners  from  Colorado 
and  California.  They  would,  therefore,  not  be  easily 
scared  by  owls  and  Crow  Indians.  Captain  Watter- 
house  said  that  after  he  met  the  young  men  who  were 
going  for  the  soldiers  he  had  been  making  long  drives 
and  would  have  to  rest  his  stock  a  few  days  before 
going  into  the  mountain  country. 

When  the  trains  left  Fort  Cottonwood  they  were 
formed  into  one  train,  over  which  Captain  Dawson 
was  placed  in  command,  with  Captain  Watterhouse 
second  in  command.  The  train  numbered  one  hun- 
dred and  one  men,  who  claimed  that  they  had  ammu- 
nition enough  to  shoot  more  than  seven  hundred 
times.  They  seemed  to  think  that  they  were  able 
and  strong  enough  to  whip  the  whole  tribe  of  Crow 
Indians. 

The  route  from  Fort  Cottonwood  lay  through  a 
mountain  country.  There  were  no  traveled  roads. 
The  train  traveled  over  mountains,  across  valleys, 
and  along  different  creeks  and  gulches.  One  day  the 
train  camped  in  a  small  valley  near  a  little  creek  for 

159 


Wild   Life    in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

dinner  and  to  let  the  stock  feed.  Just  as  the  train 
was  preparing  to  leave  camp  two  men,  who  belonged 
to  the  Captain  Watterhouse  part  of  the  train,  came 
into  camp  and  said  that  they  had  found  a  gold  mine. 
They  displayed  a  prospect  of  gold  which  they  had  in 
a  pan  which  they  had  washed  from  a  pan  of  dirt 
taken  from  a  prospect  hole  less  than  three  feet  in 
depth.  The  prospect  was  a  good  one  considering  that 
it  had  been  found  so  near  the  surface.  It  showed 
coarse  gold,  a  part  of  which  were  small  nuggets.  The 
discovery  of  a  gold  mine  so  unexpectedly  caused 
quite  a  sensation  in  camp. 

A  large  number  of  the  train  were  in  favor  of 
remaining  in  camp  in  order  to  commence  mining  and 
prospecting.  The  most  of  the  train  had  been  on  the 
road  two  months  or  more.  A  number  of  them,  there- 
fore, were  in  favor  of  going  on  to  the  rich  gold  mines 
that  they  had  heard  so  much  about,  especially  as  they 
were  financially  broke.  They  wished  to  go  where 
gold  was  plenty  and  easily  obtained.  They  had  heard 
that  wages  were  from  seven  to  ten  dollars  a  day  for 
work  in  the  mines.  It  often  happens  that,  in  a  min- 
ing country,  the  miners  think  the  best  mines  are 
ahead  or  at  some  other  place.  They  frequently  spend 
most  of  their  time  traveling  from  one  part  of  the 
country  to  another  and  so  make  a  failure  of  mining. 

The  captain  called  the  train  together  and  told  them 
that  the  indications  were  that  a  rich  mine  had  been 
discovered ;  but  that  it  would  not  do  to  divide  the 
train  in  a  country  inhabited  by  roving  bands  of 
hostile  Indians,  as  that  would  put  all  who  belonged 

160 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

to  the  train  in  danger  of  being  massacred  by  Indians. 
He  said  that  the  only  way  to  decide  whether  they 
would  stay  and  work  the  claim  or  go  on  and  look  for 
something  better  would  be  by  vote  of  the  train.  The 
vote  was  taken  and  found  forty-six  in  favor  of  work- 
ing the  claim  and  fifty-five  in  favor  of  going  on.  The 
train,  therefore,  left  perhaps  a  better  gold  mine  than 
any  that  had  yet  been  discovered  in  the  gold  region. 
At  any  rate  it  prospected  better  near  the  surface  than 
did  the  famous  Alder  Creek  Mining  District  which 
was  discovered  in  Montana  the  next  year  and  which 
was  one  of  the  richest  gold  discoveries  ever  made  in 
any  country,  more  than  two  million  dollars  in  gold 
being  taken  out  in  less  than  two  years. 

The  distance  from  the  camp  where  the  discovery 
was  made  to  the  Bannock  Mining  Country  was  fifty 
or  sixty  miles.  They  traveled  over  mountains  and 
through  timber  to  Beaver  Creek,  which  was  a  short 
distance  from  Beaver  Head  Pass,  one  of  the  low,  if 
not  lowest,  passes  over  the  dividing  range  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  which  separates  the  waters  of  the 
Atlantic  from  those  of  the  Pacific  and  the  headwaters 
of  the  Missouri  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Columbia 
River.  The  pass  was  near  the  source  of  the  Beaver 
Creek.  The  bottom  near  the  creek  was  so  level  and 
the  ascent  so  gradual  that  it  was  difficult  to  tell  when 
the  top  or  dividing  line  was  reached.  At  one  time 
when  the  train  approached  the  creek,  several  of  the 
train  contended  that  they  were  across  the  divide  and 
on  a  different  creek  and  that  the  water  was  running 
in  a  different  direction.  Upon  going  to  the  creek, 

161 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

however,  it  was  found  that  the  summit  had  not  yet 
been  reached.  The  route  from  the  pass  to  the  Ban- 
nock Mines  was  down  grade  most  of  the  way  through 
timber  and  over  low  mountains.  The  train  arrived 
at  the  [Bannock  Mines  without  having  had  any 
trouble  with  the  Indians.  In  fact,  they  did  not  see 
any  Indians. 


CHAPTER  XX 

DANCE  HALLS  AND  GAMBLING  THE  CUKSE  OF  THE 
WEST 

They  soon  learned  that  the  Indian  trouble  and  war 
had  been  greatly  exaggerated  and  consisted  mainly 
of  imagination  and  fear.  It  was  caused  by  two 
drunken  gamblers  who  had  had  a  row  with  the 
Indians  at  their  camp.  They  had  shot  and  killed  the 
Indian  Chief  and  wounded  two  other  Indians.  The 
miners  in  the  camp  nearby,  expecting  the  Indians 
to  retaliate,  fled  to  the  Bannock  Mining  Camp,  where 
many  different  kinds  of  rumors  were  circulated  in 
regard  to  the  trouble.  One  was  that  the  Indians  were 
collecting  in  large  numbers  near  the  mountains  and 
getting  ready  to  attack  the  miners  in  the  Bannock 
Mining  District.  A  delegation  of  miners  from  the 
Bannock  District  were  sent  to  the  Indian  camp  for 
the  purpose  of  settling  the  trouble  and  making  peace 
with  the  Indians.  The  Indians  said  that  they  did  not 
want  war.  They  were  willing  to  settle  on  their  own 
terms.  They  demanded  that  the  two  murderers 
should  be  arrested  and  brought  to  their  camp  and 
shot  to  death  by  the  two  brothers  of  the  dead  Indian. 

It  was  a  rule  among  all  Indian  tribes  that  when 
one  of  the  tribe  was  murdered  the  nearest  relation 
had  the  right  to  choose  the  mode  of  punishment  and 
punish  the  one  who  had  committed  the  crime.  As 

US 


Wild    Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

the  Indians  were  not  willing  to  settle  the  matter  any 
other  way  the  miners  had  to  agree  to  their  terms. 
Accordingly  three  Indians,  two  of  them  brothers  of 
the  dead  Indian,  and  three  miners  were  selected  to 
make  the  arrest  of  the  two  murderers.  The  murderers 
were  soon  discovered  in  a  gambling  den  in  the  Ban- 
nock District.  Before  they  could  be  arrested,  how- 
ever, the  Indians  shot  and  killed  them  both,  which 
ended  the  trouble  and  prevented  a  war  with  two 
thousand  or  more  Indians. 

These  gamblers  were  the  first  and  only  white  men 
known  to  have  been  killed  by  the  Indians.  The  three 
tribes  of  Indians  who  inhabited  the  territories  of 
Idaho  and  Montana  were  the  Blackfeet,  Crows  and 
Flatheads.  A  white  man  was  never  known  to  have 
been  killed  by  either  of  these  tribes  while  Thomas 
remained  in  the  mining  region. 

Soon  after  the  train  arrived  in  Bannock,  most  of  the 
wagons  were  parked  in  Grasshopper  Valley  midway 
between  the  two  mining  camps  and  near  a  large 
square  tent.  On  the  canvas  at  the  front  end  of  the 
tent  above  the  entrance  was  painted  in  large  letters 
the  word  "Restaurant."  There  was  no  one  belonging 
to  the  train  that  knew  the  meaning  of  the  word  or 
had  ever  heard  of  it.  Some  thought  that  it  was  the 
name  of  a  mountain  animal  or  of  a  collection  of  ani- 
mals that  was  on  exhibition  in  the  tent.  The  owner 
of  the  tent  was  standing  out  in  front  near  the 
entrance.  One  of  the  party  asked  her  if  there  were 
animals  on  exhibition  in  the  tent.  She  answered 

IN 


Widow  G-re&n's  Restaurant 


Wild   Life    in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

that  her  son  John,  her  daughter  Sis,  and  herself 
were  the  only  animals  that  were  to  be  seen  in  and 
about  the  tent.  In  speaking  of  the  word  above  the 
entrance  she  said  that  it  was  to  advertise  their  busi- 
ness and  let  people  know  that  they  could  get  meals 
or  anything  that  they  wanted  to  eat  inside  of  the 
t*ent.  Nearly  all  who  belonged  to  the  train  had  been 
in  the  mountains  a  number  of  years  and,  at  the  time 
they  left  the  States,  eating  houses  were  known  by 
other  names.  Mrs.  Green,  who  owned  the  restaurant, 
was  assisted  by  her  son  John  and  her  daughter  Sis. 

The  Bannock  Mining  country  was  the  place  where 
gold  was  first  descovered  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  in  the  Idaho  Territory.  The  mines 
proved  to  be  rich.  They  were  different  from  the 
Colorado  mines.  Instead  of  gold  being  taken  out 
by  the  ounce,  as  was  the  case  in  most  of  the  Colorado 
mines,  it  was  taken  out  by  the  pound  from  many  of 
the  claims  in  the  Bannock  District.  Every  one  in 
the  district  seemed  to  be  making  money  and  had 
plenty  of  it.  Many  of  them,  however,  spent  it  freely 
and  foolishly.  This  caused  the  gambling  houses, 
saloons,  ball  alleys,  and  shooting  galleries  to  flourish. 
Dancing  halls  also  were  very  popular. 

Everything  that  was  used  in  the  mines  had  to  be 
brought  in  wagons  from  Salt  Lake  City  or  the  States. 
This  made  everything  that  the  miners  used  very 
high  priced.  Picks  and  long  handled  shovels  sold 
for  fifteen  dollars  apiece.  Flour  was  worth  from 
twenty  to  fifty  dollars  a  hundred  pounds.  It  was 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

always  higher  in  price  during  the  winter  season  than 
during  the  summer.  Nevertheless,  a  large  number  of 
the  miners  did  not  seem  to  have  as  much  sense  as  a 
groundhog  in  that  they  did  not  buy  their  flour  when 
it  was  cheap.  A  groundhog  always  buries  enough 
food  in  summer  to  last  him  through  the  winter.  The 
main  reason  that  flour  was  so  much  higher  in  winter 
was  that  the  roads  were  blockaded  with  snow,  and 
flour  could  not  be  brought  from  Salt  Lake  City  to  the 
mining  country.  Coffee  was  worth  a  dollar  and  ten 
cents  a  pound.  Sugar  sold  for  a  dollar  a  pound. 
Apples  brought  from  Salt  Lake  City  often  sold  for 
two  dollars  a  dozen. 

The  cheapest  part  of  food  used  in  the  mines  was 
beef.  More  than  one  third  of  the  people  who  came 
to  the  mines  came  with  ox-teams.  After  their  arrival 
the  oxen  were  turned  out  on  grass  to  fatten  and  were 
soon  ready  to  butcher  for  beef.  A  number  of  the 
miners,  moreover,  spent  a  part  of  their  time  in  hunt- 
ing wild  game  and  thus  kept  the  mining  camps  well 
supplied  with  fresh  meat.  They  brought  in  deer, 
bear,  antelope,  and  mountain  sheep,  the  meat  of 
which  they  sold  to  the  miners  at  from  eight  to  twelve 
cents  per  pound.  This  caused  beef  to  be  sold  as  low 
or  lower  in  price  than  in  the  States.  The  miners 
had  been  working  in  Idaho  Territory  a  year  or  more 
before  they  discovered  that  they  were  working  in  the 
Territory  of  Montana,  which  had  been  organized  dur- 
ing that  time.  A  part  of  the  new  Territory  extended 
over  and  took  in  the  Bannock  Mining  country. 

168 


Wild   Life    in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

The  town  of  Bannock  was  the  only  town  in  the 
Grasshopper  Valley  region  and  was,  therefore,  head- 
quarters for  all  of  the  different  camps  and  miners  who 
had  to  come  to  Bannock  to  get  their  supplies  to  use 
in  camp  and  mining.  The  town  was  built  differently 
from  most  other  towns.  Instead  of  being  laid  off 
in  streets  and  lots,  everyone  built  where  the  ground 
suited  him  best.  Thus  many  of  the  buildings  fronted 
and  faced  in  different  directions.  Bannock  contained 
a  population  of  from  four  to  five  hundred  made  up 
of  miners,  merchants,  gamblers,  saloon-keepers,  rob- 
bers, and  thieves.  The  largest  buildings  in  town  were 
the  gambling  houses  and  dance  halls. 

There  were  two  dance  halls  in  Bannock.  They  were 
large  enough  for  several  sets  to  dance  in  the  center 
at  one  time.  At  one  end  of  the  hall  were  several  dress- 
ing rooms.  At  the  other  end  was  a  small  platform  for 
the  two  fiddlers  who  furnished  the  music  for  the 
dancers  and  who  were  paid  ten  dollars  apiece  for  the 
music  each  evening.  The  dancing  girls  in  Bannock 
were  called  the  hurdy-gurdy  girls.  They  were  dressed 
in  red  uniforms.  All  kinds  of  drinks  were  sold  at 
a  bar  near  the  platform  occupied  by  the  two  fiddlers. 
Four  bartenders  were  kept  busy  most  of  the  evening 
furnishing  drinks  for  the  crowd.  There  were  no 
tickets  sold ;  nor  was  there  anything  to  pay  to  go  on 
to  the  floor  to  dance.  The  girls  chose  their  partners. 
When  the  set  was  over  they  led  them  up  to  the  bar 
and  asked  them  what  they  would  have.  When  their 
partners  had  been  supplied  with  what  they  had  called 

169 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

for  the  girls  said  that  they  would  take  some  of  Luke 's 
Best,  which  was  a  mild  colored  drink  that  was  not 
intoxicating.  It  would,  therefore,  not  put  them  out 
of  commission  for  dancing.  The  girls '  partners  paid 
for  the  drinks — one  dollar  for  each  couple,  fifty  cents 
being  the  regular  price  for  drinks  in  all  of  the  Ban- 
nock Mining  country.  As  soon  as  the  drinks  were 
paid  for  the  girls  would  select  partners  for  the  next 
set.  If  the  same  ones  did  not  wish  to  dance  they 
would  soon  get  others  from  the  crowd  who  were  wait- 
ing and  anxious  for  their  turn  to  go  on  the  floor. 
Some  of  the  miners  would  dance  all  evening  or  until 
they  became  too  drunk  to  go  on  the  floor. 

Most  of  the  gambling  was  done  in  large  rooms 
or  halls  built  for  that  purpose,  with  a  bar  at  one  end 
where  liquors  of  all  kinds  were  sold,  with  a  row  of 
small  tables  through  the  center  of  the  room  with 
seats  at  each  table  to  accommodate  four  men.  The 
room  contained  no  other  furniture  except  seats  around 
the  wall.  Anyone  was  allowed  to  come  in  while  the 
game  was  in  progress,  but  they  were  not  allowed  to 
stand  around  and  watch  the  game.  The  gamblers 
nearly  always  played  a  quiet  game  without  much  talk- 
ing or  noise.  About  the  only  noise  heard  while  the 
game  was  in  progress  would  be  the  rattling  of  chips. 

The  town  of  Bannock  was  like  all  mining  towns.  It 
was  without  a  church  or  place  of  religious  service. 
The  reason,  perhaps,  was  that  the  people  who  lived  in 
a  mining  country  were  not  stationery.  They  seldom 
lived  any  length  of  time  in  one  place,  but  changed 

170 


Wild   Life    in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

constantly  from  one  mining  camp  to  another.  The 
most  of  the  people  in  the  mining  country  had  come 
to  the  mountains  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  and 
digging  gold  and  did  not  seem  to  have  time  to  build 
churches  or  take  an  interest  in  religious  work. 

It  was  five  hundred  miles  from  Bannock  to  the 
nearest  JJnited  States  postoffice,  which  was  located  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  where  the  miners  received  their  mail 
and  where  their  letters  to  the  States  had  to  be  sent  to 
be  mailed.  The  mail  was  all  taken  from  the  mining 
country  to  Salt  Lake  City  by  private  carriers  or  com- 
panies. One  dollar  was  charged  for  taking  a  letter 
to  the  office  or  bringing  one  back.  It  often  took  two 
months  for  the  round  trip. 

When  Thomas  and  Woodbury  arrived  at  the  Ban- 
nock Mining  country  and  learned  that  all  of  the 
mining  ground  was  claimed  they  commenced  pros- 
pecting for  new  mines.  They  prospected  on  the 
same  creek  that  the  Bannock  mines  were  on.  A  mile 
or  more  down  the  creek,  after  digging  and  sinking 
a  number  of  prospect  holes  without  finding  gold,  they 
prospected  on  a  gravel  bar  near  the  creek.  There  they 
discovered  a  mine  in  a  prospect  hole  at  the  depth  of 
three  feet.  They  got  two  cents  from  each  pan  of  dirt 
taken  from  the  mine.  The  prospect  was  a  good  one 
so  near  the  surface.  It  was  considered  good  pay  dirt 
and  would  pay  for  mining.  It  also  indicated  that 
there  would  be  gold  enough  found  on  and  near  bed- 
rock to  make  it  one  of  the  good  paying  claims  of  th« 
mining  country.  They  were  hindered  by  water  from 

171 


Wild   Life   in    the    Rocky   Mountains 

going  much  deeper  in  their  claim.  In  order  to  work 
their  claim  and  prospect  to  bedrock  they  commenced 
a  drain  ditch  in  order  to  drain  the  water  away  from 
their  claim.  They  started  their  ditch  two  hundred 
feet  down  the  creek  from  their  mine  in  order  to  be 
sure  that  they  would  have  fall  enough  to  reach  the 
bedrock. 

During  the  week  while  they  were  prospecting  they 
secured  board  at  a  boarding-house  in  Bannock.  When 
they  went  to  engage  board,  the  woman  who  kept  the 
boarding-house  told  them  that  she  had  been  charging 
fourteen  dollars  a  week  for  board,  but  that  she  had 
just  raised  it  that  day  to  sixteen  dollars.  She  had 
just  hired  a  new  cook  who  was  expensive  and  ex- 
travagant in  his  cooking. 

"He  is  out  in  the  kitchen  now,"  she  said,  "baking 
cakes.  He  is  making  them  out  of  butter,  eggs,  sugar, 
and  a  very  little  flour.  They  are  very  costly  and  will 
almost  melt  in  your  mouth. ' ' 

A  Dutchman  who  had  heard  the  woman  talking 
about  her  costly  cakes  said  the  next  day,  "I  tried  one 
of  her  cakes  and,  instead  of  it  melting  in  my  mouth, 
I  had  to  chaw  it  like  hell. ' ' 

Thomas  and  Woodbury  settled  their  bill,  which 
came  to  thirty-two  dollars  at  the  end  of  the  week  and 
concluded  to  board  themselves  so  that  they  could  be 
near  their  claim.  They  bought  a  tent,  camping  out- 
fit, and  provisions.  The  grub  consisted  of  flour,  meat, 
coffee,  sugar,  valley  tein,  beans,  and  dried  fruit. 
Valley  tein  was  the  name  of  a  molasses  or  syrup 
which  was  made  from  the  juice  of  cane  in  Salt  Lake 
Valley.  Thomas  kept  account  of  everything  they 

172 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky   Mountains 

used  the  first  week  that  they  boarded  themselves  and 
it  figured  up  to  two  dollars  sixteen  cents  for  both  of 
them  per  day,  which  was  less  than  half  of  what  they 
had  paid  at  the  boarding-house.  Their  grub  was  good 
enough  for  any  miner  without  any  costly  cakes. 

After  Thomas  and  Woodbury  had  worked  on  their 
drain  ditch  two  weeks  and  had  it  more  than  half 
completed,  two  miners  offered  to  buy  half  interest  in 
the  claim.  Thomas  told  them  that  if  four  partners 
worked  the  claim  there  would  be  too  many  divisions  of 
the  gold  taken  out  so  that  it  would  not  be  profitable 
for  either  of  them.  Thomas  told  them  that  he  had 
heard  that  there  had  been  new  discoveries  made  in 
the  recently  organized  territory  of  Montana  across 
the  mountains  forty  miles  from  there.  The  mines 
were  reported  very  rich  and  he  thought  that  it  would 
pay  to  investigate  the  rumors.  He  told  them  that, 
with  his  partner's  consent,  he  would  sell  them  his 
half  of  the  mine  if  they  could  agree  on  the  price. 
Upon  hearing  the  price  they  agreed  to  take  the  claim 
and  became  Woodbury 's  partners.  Thus  the  partner- 
ship which  had  existed  for  a  period  of  more  than  four 
years  in  different  mining  schemes  was  dissolved  by 
mutual  consent. 


173 


CHAPTEE  XXI 

THE  PIPE  OF  PEACE 

The  next  day  Thomas  met  Jones,  whom  he  had  not 
seen  for  four  years,  in  Bannock.  Jones  was  an  old 
miner  who  had  worked  in  the  mines  in  Georgia 
Gulch  in  Colorado  at  the  time  that  Thomas  and  "Wood- 
bury  were  working  their  fraction  of  twenty  feet. 
Jones  was  a  southern  man  from  the  state  of  Georgia. 
He  used  many  southern  phrases  in  his  conversation 
such  as  ' '  tote, "  "  thar, ' '  and  ' '  whar. ' '  He  was  a  tall 
man,  six  feet  in  height,  and  well  proportioned.  He 
must  have  been  in  the  early  thirties.  He  was  honest 
and  truthful ;  his  conversation  was  pleasant  and 
agreeable;  he  was  never  known  to  use  any  profane 
language.  He  was  always  known  wherever  he  went 
by  his  broad-brimmed  hat  and  long  beard,  which 
reached  to  his  waist. 

After  Thomas  and  Jones  had  talked  a  short  time 

about  where  they  had  been  and  what  they  had  been 

doing  since  they  last  met,  Jones  said: 

"I  am  glad  that  we  have  met.     You  are  just  the 

man  for  whom  I  have  been  looking.     I  have  just 
returned  from  Bivens   Gluch,  Montana,  where  new 

discoveries  of  gold  have  been  made.     While  there  I 

discovered  a  gold  mine  in  the  gulch  and  staked  a  claim. 

The  discovery  was  made  by  sinking  a  prospect  hole  to 

the  depth  of  two  or  three   feet.     I  then  struck  a 

174 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

boulder  which  extended  half  way  across  the  prospect 
hole  and  prevented  me  from  going  deeper.  I  washed 
a  pan  of  dirt  taken  from  the  bottom  of  the  hole  and 
got  sixty  cents  in  gold.  One  half  of  the  claim  belongs 
to  the  butcher  here  in  town,  who  grubstaked  me  to 
go  to  the  new  mines.  Since  my  return  £  have 
reported  to  him.  He  said  he  could  not  leave  his  busi- 
ness to  go  to  the  mine  and  would  take  fifty  dollars 
for  his  interest  in  the  mine.  I  did  not  have  the 
fifty  dollars,  as  he  very  well  knew.  He  told  me  to 
look  up  a  man  who  would  pay  him  the  fifty  dollars 
for  his  interest  in  the  claim." 

To  which  Thomas  replied,  "You  need  not  look 
any  further.  I  will  pay  the  butcher  fifty  dollars 
and  take  his  half  interest  in  the  claim." 

The  butcher  told  the  same  story  that  Jones  had  told 
with  regard  to  the  grubstaking,  prospecting,  and  the 
sixty  cents  to  the  pan.  The  butcher  said  that  he  was 
doing  a  good  business  and  making  money  at  his  trade ; 
that  he  did  not  know  anything  about  mining  and 
would  sell  his  grubstake  interest  in  the  mine  for  fifty 
dollars.  Thomas  weighed  him  out  his  fifty  dollars 
and  became  owner  of  half  interest  in  the  claim  with 
Jones  as  his  partner.  After  Thomas  had  bought  the 
half  interest  Jones  told  him  that  he  could  have  sold 
the  half  interest  to  another  man  before  he  met  him. 
He  said  that  the  reason  he  did  not  sell  to  the  other 
man  was  that  he  had  a  wife  and  Jones  did  not  want 
to  be  bothered  with  a  woman  around  where  he  was 
working. 

175 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

"How  long  have  you  been  a  woman  hater ?" 
Thomas  asked.  "That  is  something  unusual.'' 

'  '  Ten  years  ago,  while  yet  living  in  my  native  state, 
I  fell  in  love  with  a  girl  and  soon  came  to  love  her 
dearly,"  said  Jones.  "We  became  engaged  to  be 
married  and  the  day  was  set  for  the  wedding.  Before 
the  time  for  the  marriage  to  take  place,  however,  she 
married  my  rival.  As  soon  as  I  heard  the  news  I 
left  my  native  state  and  went  to  Texas,  where  I 
worked  for  two  years  on  a  cattle  ranch.  From  there 
I  went  to  the  Colorado  gold  mines,  where  we  first  met. 
From  there  I  traveled  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  worked 
for  the  government  at  Fort  Douglass.  Last  fall  I 
came  to  Bannock  and,  after  paying  fourteen  dollars  a 
week  for  board,  I  came  out  this  spring  dead  broke. 
On  account  of  the  water  being  frozen  during  the 
winter  there  was  no  work  to  be  had  in  the  mines.  I 
made  a  vow  when  I  left  my  native  state  that  I  would 
always  wear  a  broad  brimmed  black  hat  and  never 
shave  my  beard  off.  When  my  beard  gets  so  long  that 
it  interferes  when  I  button  my  pants  I  shorten  it  with 
my  knife." 

"I  do  not  see  how  your  long  beard  and  broad 
brimmed  hat  is  going  to  be  of  any  help  to  you  for 
what  has  taken  place  in  the  past, ' '  returned  Thomas. 

"My  broad  brimmed  hat  and  niy  long  beard, ' '  Jones 
returned,  "has  been  a  constant  reminder  to  me  not 
to  engage  myself  to  another  girl  or  have  anything  to 
do  with  women.  I  think  we  had  better  drop  the 
subject  of  hats  and  beards,  however,  and  get  ready 
to  go  to  the  mine.  I  have  only  six  days  to  get  there 

176 


Wiley   Jones,   the    Woman   Hater 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

from  the  time  that  I  staked  the  claim.  According  to 
the  laws  of  Bivens  Gulch  District  if  a  claim  holder  is 
away  from  his  claim  longer  than  six  days  at  one  time 
the  claim  can  be  jumped  and  worked  by  another 
party.  I  promised  the  butcher  that  I  would  take  his 
pony  that  I  used  in  prospecting  to  the  ranch.  This 
will  take  me  about  two  hours." 

"I  will  commence  making  arrangements  about  mov- 
ing while  you  are  attending  to  the  butcher's  pony," 
said  Thomas. 

A  man  was  soon  found  who  said  that  he  was  going 
to  start  for  Bivens  Gulch  the  next  morning  with  a 
team.  He  told  Thomas  that  he  had  part  of  a  load 
and  that,  if  their  company  and  mining  outfit  did  not 
weigh  more  than  a  thousand  pounds,  he  would  haul 
it  for  eight  dollars  a  hundred.  Thomas  told  him  that 
it  would  not  amount  to  more  than  half  that.  It  con- 
sisted of  picks,  shovels,  cooking  utensils,  and  provi- 
sions enough  to  last  several  months.  The  picks  and 
shovels  amounted  to  fifteen  dollars  each  which  made 
the  entire  cost  of  the  outfit  one  hundred  sixty  dollars. 
This  outlay  was  all  made  on  the  word  of  Jones  that 
the  mine  paid  sixty  cents  to  the  pan. 

A  miner  was  hired  to  go  along  and  help  open  the 
claim.  He  was  to  be  paid  seven  dollars  a  day  from 
the  time  that  they  left  Bannock.  Two  men  with  whip- 
saws  agreed  to  go  along.  Thomas  promised  to  give 
them  a  job  of  sawing  the  lumber  for  his  sluice-boxes 
as  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the  mine.  All  of  the  lum- 
ber in  new  mining  camps  used  for  sluice-boxes  and 
riffles  had  to  be  sawed  with  whipsaws.  A  whipsaw 

179 


. 

Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

is  a  saw  set  in  a  frame  and  used  for  dividing  timber 
lengthwise  and  commonly  worked  by  two  persons. 
One  stands  below  the  frame  and  scaffold  on  which 
the  log  rests.  He  pulls  the  saw  down  and  the  other 
one  pulls  the  saw  up.  The  framework  that  the  log 
rests  upon  is  built  against  the  hill  similar  to  a  bank 
barn  so  that  the  log  can  be  rolled  on  to  the  frame 
from  level  ground,  while  the  other  end  is  six  or  seven 
feet  from  the  ground.  There  was  only  one  portable 
saw  mill  in  the  gold  region  at  that  time.  It  was 
located  at  Bannock  City.  All  of  the  lumber  used  in 
Bivens  Gulch  had  to  be  sawed  with  whipsaws  or 
hauled  from  Bannock,  which  delayed  the  opening  of 
the  mines  on  Bivens  Gulch  two  months  or  more. 

The  gulch  had  been  discovered  by  the  Bivens 
brothers  and  received  their  name.  The  Bivens 
brothers  belonged  to  a  party  of  ten  miners  who  had 
gone  out  from  Bannock  to  that  region  to  prospect 
in  different  gulches  for  gold.  Some  of  the  number 
found  gold  in  two  other  gulches  near  but  which  were 
not  nearly  so  rich.  The  one  nearest  to  the  Bivens 
was  the  Harris  Gulch. 

The  night  before  Thomas  and  party  arrived  at 
Jones'  mine  on  Bivens  Gulch,  they  camped  in  a  grove 
near  Stinking  Water  River,  so  named  by  the  Indians. 
The  Stinking  Water  River  was  a  small  river  that 
emptied  into  the  Madison  Eiver  near  the  junction  of 
the  Madison  and  Jefferson  Rivers  to  form  the  Missouri. 
The  two  whipsaw  men,  who  were  ahead  of  the  party 
hunting,  soon  brought  to  the  camp  a  young  deer  and 
a  beaver  which  they  had  killed  on  the  Stinking  Water 

180 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky   Mountains 

bottom.  The  beaver  was  soon  skinned,  dressed,  and 
in  the  kettle  cooking.  It  furnished  a  part  of  the 
supper  for  the  party  while  the  deer  was  skinned  and 
dressed  for  future  meals. 

A  short  time  after  dark  while  the  party  were  sitting 
around  the  campfire  laughing,  joking,  and  telling 
mountain  stories  the  cracking  of  sticks  was  heard  in 
the  brush  near  them.  Looking  around  they  saw  six 
Indians  coming  to  the  camp.  They  were  armed  with 
rifles.  They  saluted  the  party  with  the  customary, 
"How,  how,"  and  took  seats  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  fire.  This  brought  six  Indians  facing  six  white 
men.  In  order  to  be  friendly  and  to  make  the  Indians 
welcome  the  hind  quarters  of  the  deer  was  brought 
out  and  given  them  for  supper,  which  seemed  to 
please  them  greatly.  They  soon  commenced  cutting 
the  meat  in  narrow  strips,  after  which  they  took  a 
number  of  willow  sticks  nearly  two  feet  in  length 
from  a  bundle  they  had  with  them.  They  each  sharp- 
ened one  end  of  the  stick,  stuck  it  through  a  strip  of 
meat,  and  held  it  over  the  fire  to  broil.  It  seemed  that 
they  carried  the  sticks  along  for  that  purpose.  They 
refused  the  offer  of  bread,  preferring  to  make  their 
supper  of  meat  alone. 

The  leader  or  chief  of  the  band  <could  understand 
and  talk  a  sufficient  amount  of  the  English  language 
to  make  himself  understood.  He  did  the  talking  and 
the  others  kept  silent,  which  is  almost  invariably  the 
case  when  a  party  of  Indians  are  met.  Having  fin- 
ished their  supper,  the  chief  took  from  the  pocket  in 
the  side  of  his  blanket  coat  a  large  stone  pipe  and  a 

181 


Wild   Life    in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

buckskin  sack  filled  with  kinnikinick,  a  kind  of 
tobacco  smoked  by  the  American  Indians,  made  of 
the  leaves  of  sumac  and  the  bark  of  willow.  He 
filled  his  pipe,  lighted  it,  and  smoked  a  few  puffs  and 
said: 

''White  man  smoke  first." 

He  then  handed  the  pipe  to  Jones,  who  also  smoked 
a  few  puffs  and  passed  it  around  the  ring.  The 
smoking  of  the  peace  pipe  that  night  was  the  first 
time  that  Thomas  had  ever  tried  to  smoke  a  pipe. 
After  the  pipe  of  peace  had  gone  around  the  chief 
seemed  more  free  to  talk.  He  said  that  they  were 
Flathead  Indians ;  that  his  tribe  was  at  war  with  the 
Blackf eet  tribe ;  and  that  they  were  six  picked  war- 
riors sent  by  his  tribe  to  steal  ponies  from  the  Black- 
feet.  The  chief  then  said  that  he  had  been  sent  by 
his  tribe  to  Washington  city,  where  he  had  talked 
with  the  Big  Chief,  President  Pierce,  and  that  he  was 
in  the  big  wigwam  where  the  Big  Council  meets.  He 
took  from  his  neck  a  string  with  a  bronze  medal 
attached,  on  which  was  the  picture  and  name  of  the 
president.  This  he  displayed  to  the  party  and  said 
that  it  was  presented  to  him  while  he  was  in  Wash- 
ington. 

Before  retiring  for  the  night  Jones  asked  the  chief 
to  let  him  see  his  gun.  The  gun  was  examined  by 
Jones  and  the  party  and  handed  back  to  its  owner 
who  then  raised  its  muzzle  in  the  air  and  fired  it  off. 
He  spoke  a  few  words  in  their  language  to  the  other 
Indians  and  they  all  fired  off  their  guns.  This  was  to 
show,  perhaps,  that  they  were  not  afraid  to  remain 

182 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

all  night  in  the  'camp  with  empty  guns.  The  next 
morning  early,  after  having  had  another  meal  of 
venison,  they  all  left  the  camp  in  single  file.  As  they 
left  they  each  repeated  the  word  "Good,  good," 
which  perhaps  meant  that  they  had  had  a  good  time 
or  they  may  have  meant  it  for  good-by.  Indians  in 
traveling  on  foot  and  most  of  the  time  when  on 
horse-fback  travel  in  single  file.  Their  narrow  paths 
or  trails  are  often  seen  in  different  parts  of  the  moun- 
tains. 

The  party  started  for  Bivens  Gulch  soon  after  the 
Indians  had  left.  It  was  nearly  noon  when  they 
arrived.  They  found  very  few  miners  at  work.  The 
only  claim  being  worked  was  the  discovery  claim. 
Most  of  the  miners  were  camped  under  the  near- 
est pine  trees  waiting  for  lumber  to  be  sawed  for 
their  sluice-boxes  and  riffles.  The  party  proceeded 
immediately  to  the  claim  where  Jones  had  made  his 
discovery.  This  was  more  than  half  a  mile  up  the 
gulch  from  the  discovery  claim.  The  camping  outfit 
was  unloaded  under  a  large  pine  tree  near  the  claim. 

The  men  who  owned  the  whipsaw  said  that  they 
wanted  to  see  more  prospecting  done  on  the  claim 
before  they  went  to  the  trouble  and  expense  of  build- 
ing a  scaffold.  They  said  that  they  did  not  dispute 
Jones'  word  of  getting  sixty  cents  to  the  pan,  but 
that  often  good  prospects  would  be  taken  from  a 
pan  of  dirt  out  of  a  prospect  hole  while  very  poor 
prospects  would  be  taken  from  other  pans  of  dirt  out 
of  the  same  hole.  So  poor,  indeed,  that  it  would  not 
pay  for  working. 

183 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

"Prospecting  and  mining  this  claim  is  what  we 
have  come  for,"  said  Thomas. 

He  told  Snyder,  the  hired  man,  to  enlarge  the  small 
hole  that  Jones  had  dug  so  that  there  would  be  more 
room  to  work  and  prospect  more  of  the  surface. 
After  this  had  been  done  Thomas  took  a  pan  of  dirt 
from  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  washed  and  separated 
the  gold  from  the  dirt.  He  then  weighed  the  gold 
and  found  it  to  be  worth  just  seven  cents,  which  was 
a  great  surprise  to  everyone  present,  especially  Jones, 
who  said: 

"Thar  in  that  very  hole  is  whar  I  got  the  sixty 
cents." 

"We  will  try  another  pan  from  a  different  place," 
said  Thomas. 

When  it  was  washed  the  gold  weighed  eighteen 
cents. 

Thomas  said,  "This  is  much  better,  but  not  sixty 
cents.  If  we  keep  on  gaining  we  will  get  it." 

"  It  is  in  thar.  That  is  whar  I  got  my  sixty  cents, ' ' 
returned  Jones. 

Thomas  told  Snyder  to  dig  the  ditch  deeper  and 
they  would  try  another  pan.  On  going  a  foot  deeper 
he  struck  a  granite  bed  rock  and  dirt  of  another  color 
from  which  a  pan  of  dirt  was  taken  and  handed  to 
Jones  to  pan  out  and  separate  the  gold  from  the  dirt. 
Jones  soon  returned  saying: 

"I  knew  the  sixty  cents  was  in  thar." 

They  weighed  Jones'  prospect,  a  part  of  which  was 
small  nuggets,  and  found  it  to  be  worth  one  dollar 
and  twenty-two  cents.  This  convinced  the  whipsaw 

184 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

men  that  the  mine  was  a  good  one,  so  that  they  were 
willing  to  go  to  work.  Thomas  told  them  to  go  to 
work  and  saw  out  lumiber  for  four  sluice-boxes  and 
riffles.  Thomas,  Jones,  and  Snyder  worked  on  the 
drain  ditch  while  the  lumber  was  being  sawed.  In 
less  than  two  weeks  the  lumber  was  sawed,  the  ditch 
finished,  and  the  sluice  boxes  made  and  set  ready 
to  commence  mining. 

The  first  day  that  the  mine  was  worked  over  a 
half  a  pound  of  gold  was  taken  out.  Two  shovelers 
shoveled  into  the  boxes  most  of  the  time  that  day. 
Three  or  four  shovelers  are  usually  kept  at  work. 
This  indicated  that  the  mine  would  prove  a  rich  one 
and  yield  from  one  hundred  fifty  dollars  to  two 
hundred  dollars  a  day.  Most  of  the  gold  taken  from 
the  mine  was  in  the  form  of  bright,  smooth  nugets 
of  various  sizes  and  shapes.  The  largest  nugget 
taken  from  the  Bivens  Gulch  mines  weighed  two 
pound's  and  was  worth  four  hundred  thirty-two  dol- 
lars. After  they  had  worked  the  claim  a  month 
or  more  Jones  said : 

"If  we  continue  taking  out  nuggets  until  the  claim 
is  worked  out,  which  will  take  a  year  or  more,  we 
will  have  more  nuggets  than  we  can  tote." 

"If  late  reports  from  Bannock  are  true  that  the 
miners  in  their  cabins  have  been  robbed  of  their  gold 
at  the  point  of  a  revolver/'  returned  Thomas,  "we 
may  not  have  much  gold  to  carry  when  we  get 
through  mining." 

On  account  of  the  weight  and  the  amount  of  gold 
taken  out  each  day  by  the  miners,  it  was  necessary 

185 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky   Mountains 

to  bank  it.  This  was  done  by  burying  it  in  the 
ground  near  their  claims  or  in  their  cabins.  They 
would  sometimes  forget  the  different  places  where 
they  had  buried  it.  One  miner  who  had  taken 
eleven  thousand  dollars  out  of  his  claim  sold  the 
claim  and  returned  to  the  States.  When  he  reached 
home  he  found  that  he  was  two  thousand  dollars 
short.  Then  he  remembered  that  he  had  buried  two 
sacks  of  gold  near  the  roots  of  a  small  pine  tree 
which  he  had  forgotten  to  dig  up  before  he  left.  The 
next  spring  after  Mr.  Donegan  had  returned  home  his 
son  and  several  other  young  men  started  for  the  gold 
mines  on  Bivens  Gulch.  Donegan  told  them  about 
the  sacks  of  gold  which  he  had  forgotten  and 
described  the  place  where  he  had  left  them  as  nearly 
as  he  could.  He  told  them  that  whoever  found  it 
could  have  one  sack  and  send  him  the  other. 

When  the  Donegan  party  arrived  on  Bivens  Gulch 
they  found  that  all  of  the  timber  had  been  'cut  off 
during  the  winter  for  building  cabins  and  fire-wood. 
They  dug  around  all  of  the  stumps  near  the  claim 
without  finding  the  gold.  Finally  one  of  the  men 
claimed  that  he  had  a  dream  during  the  night  that 
the  gold  was  buried  in  a  cabin  that  had  'been  built 
over  the  stump  where  the  tree  had  stood.  The  cabin 
had  a  dirt  floor  and  the  stump  of  the  tree  had  been 
cut  off  even  with  the  ground.  They  went  to  the 
cabin  and,  after  a  little  searching,  found  the  stump. 
Upon  digging  around  it  they  soon  came  to  the  gold. 
Miners  usually  bury  their  gold  in  buckskin  sacks  or 

186 


Wild   Life    in    the   Rocky    Mountains 

yeast  powder  cans  or  any  kind  of  tin  cans  which  have 
tight  covers. 

Thomas  and  Jones  opened  and  mined  the  second 
claim  on  Bivens  Gulch.  They  built  the  first  log  cabin 
on  the  gulch  and  it  was  said  to  be  the  first  one  in 
Montana  to  be  built  after  the  Territory  was  organized. 
It  was  also  the  first  cabin  in  the  town  which  was 
started  and  built  near  their  claim.  Jones  built  sev- 
eral of  the  first  houses  to  rent  to  miners  who  did  not 
own  claims  but  worked  in  the  mines.  His  houses 
were  all  on  the  same  side  of  the  street  in  a  row  and 
were  known  as  Jones'  Row.  Some  of  the  miners  were 
in  favor  of  naming  the  town  Jonesburg  on  account 
of  his  building  most  of  the  first  houses.  Jones 
objected  to  the  name  and,  on  account  of  its  narrow 
and  crooked  streets,  Thomas  named  it  Bagdad  after 
that  celebrated  city  in  Arabia.  Bagdad  was  the  only 
town  in  that  part  of  the  country  and  the  one  to  which 
all  of  the  miners  of  Harris  Gulch  and  Bivens  Gulch 
came  to  do  their  trading. 


187 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

SIXTY  MILLION  DOLLAKS 

The  second  discovery  of  gold  made  in  Montana  was 
that  in  Alder  Gulch.  It  was  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  extensive  discoveries  ever  made  in  any  mining 
country.  Alder  Creek  or  Gulch  was  eighteen  or 
twenty  miles  in  length.  Every  hundred  feet,  a  claim, 
for  almost  the  entire  distance  was  rich  with  gold. 
The  rich  discoveries  of  the  Alder  Gulch  placer  dig- 
gings brought  a  large  emigration  to  the  new  mining 
country  known  among  gold  seekers  as  a  stampede. 

The  second  year  after  the  discovery  it  was  sup- 
posed that  there  were  thirty  thousand  miners  in  the 
gulch  and,  within  that  time,  three  towns  were  built 
along  the  creek.  Virginia  City,  the  largest  one,  con- 
tained a  population  of  eight  or  ten  thousand.  It  was 
estimated  that  sixty  million  dollars  were  taken  out  of 
the  Alder  Gulch  mines  in  four  years.  The  gold  was 
coarse  and  very  much  like  that  taken  out  of  the 
Bivens  Gulch  mines.  The  largest  nugget  taken  out 
of  Alder  Gulch  was  worth  seven  hundred  dollars. 

Several  other  rich  discoveries  were  made  in  the  Ter- 
ritory soon  after  the  discovery  at  Alder  Creek.  A 
United  States  postoffice,  the  first  one  in  the  Territory, 
was  established  at  Virginia  City.  A  stage-route  was 
established  between  Virginia  City  and  Salt  Lake 
City,  over  which  the  United  States  mail  was  'brought. 

188 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

Alder  Creek  emptied  into  the  Stinking  Water 
River  and  was  twenty-five  miles  from  the  Bivens 
Gulch  mines,  where  Thomas  and  Jones  were  working 
their  claim  when  the  new  discovery  was  made  on 
Alder  Creek.  The  rich  discoveries  of  gold  made  on 
Alder  Creek,  Bivens  Gulch,  and  Bannock  brought 
many  thieves,  gamblers  and  robbers  to  the  country. 
They  were  soon  in  every  mining  camp  following  their 
occupation.  Among  the  desperadoes  were  George 
Ives,  Amos  Lyon,  Henry  Plummer,  Charles  Reeves, 
Jack  Gallager  and  others.  They  organized  them- 
selves into  a  secret  body  with  signs,  grips  and  with 
a  captain,  lieutenants,  secretary,  road  agents  and  out- 
riders. They  soon  became  the  terror  of  the  whole 
community.  They  kept  up  a  correspondence  between 
Bannock  and  Virginia  City,  thus  keeping  watch  of  all 
travel  between  these  points.  They  knew  who  were 
making  and  who  had  money,  and,  in  some  mysterious 
way,  notified  each  other  who  were  leaving  the  differ- 
ent camps  with  money. 

They  were  armed  with  a  pair  of  revolvers,  a 
double-barreled  shotgun  with  short  barrels,  and  a 
dagger  or  bowie  knife.  They  were  mounted  on  swift 
horses  and  disguised  with  masks  and  blankets.  They 
waited  in  ambush  for  those  they  wished  to  rob.  When 
they  saw  them  approaching,  they  would  spring  out 
from  their  hiding  place,  cover  them  with  their  guns, 
and  order  them  to  throw  up  their  hands.  If  they 
refused  to  obey  it  would  result  in  their  murder;  if 
they  complied  with  the  request  they  were  ordered 
to  throw  their  arms  and  money  on  the  ground.  Then, 

189 


Wild   Life   in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

after  they  h$d  been  searched  to  see  if  they  had  any- 
thing concealed,  they  were  ordered  to  go  on  and  the 
robbers  would  ride  off  in  the  opposite  direction. 
Whenever  a  new  discovery  was  made  the  robbers 
soon  appeared  until  their  operations  had  spread  in  all 
directions.  They  soon  became  the  terror  of  the  moun- 
tains. No  one  was  safe  from  their  attacks.  Robbery 
was  of  daily  occurrence  and  murder  often  followed. 

In  order  to  show  the  class  of  men  who  belonged  to 
the  band  of  thieves  and  robbers,  we  will  take  the 
case  of  Henry  Plummer,  who,  by  his  smooth  man- 
ners and  pleasant  address,  would  be  taken  for  a  gen- 
tleman, although  he  was  known  to  be  both  a  robber 
and  a  murderer.  He  had  once  filled  the  office  of 
marshal  of  Nevada  City.  From  there  he  went  to 
Oregon;  thence  to  Montana,  where  he  was  elected 
sheriff  of  the  Bannock  Mining  district.  He  came  to 
Bannock  with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jack  Cleveland. 
In  the  winter  of  1862-1863,  the  gold  excitement  in 
Bannock  spread  widely.  There  the  first  gold  east 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  had  been  discovered.  This 
drew  a  large  emigration  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, a  large  number  of  them  being  outlaws  and  rob- 
bers. Among  them  all,  however,  Plummer  was  chief, 
noted  for  his  desperation  and  his  skill  in  the  rapid 
handling  of  his  pistol.  His  old  friend,  Jack  Cleve- 
land, who  had  killed  a  man  on  his  way  into  the  Ter- 
ritory, disputed  his  title  of  chief  and  frequently 
boasted  of  his  own  skill  and  doings.  In  fact,  he  put 
on  the  airs  of  a  chief  in  the  rough  element  of  the  new 

190 


Road  Agents  Robbing  a  Stage 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

settlement.  For  this,  Plummer  shot  and  killed  him 
while  he  was  drunk  and  boasting  in  a  saloon. 

A  short  time  after  that  occurrence,  George  Ives 
was  talking  on  the  street  with  a  man,  and,  not  liking 
the  style  of  his  speech,  shot  and  killed  him  with  his 
pistol.  Haze  Lyon,  who  afterwards  became  one  of 
the  leading  road  agents,  owed  four  hundred  dollars 
to  a  citizen  of  Bannock  for  board  and  lodging.  One 
night  he  won  a  large  sum  of  money  at  a  gambling 
table.  The  next  morning  he  was  asked  to  settle  his 
account.  He  answered  by  drawing  his  revolver  and 
ordering  the  citizen  to  dust  out,  with  which  gentle 
request  he  immediately  complied. 

Plummer  was  tried  for  the  murder  of  Cleveland 
and  acquitted  on  the  grounds  that  his  opponent's  lan- 
guage was  irritating.  Charles  Reeves  and  Williams, 
who  had  fired  into  a  camp  of  friendly  Indians  just 
to  see  how  many  they  could  kill  at  a  single  shot,  were 
also  tried  and  acquitted  of  willful  murder.  Others 
who  had  likewise  been  guilty  of  robbery  and  murder 
were  also  let  go  free.  Thus  the  worst  elements  of 
society  felt  themselves  secure  in  the  performance  of 
their  lawless  deeds,  and  murder  and  robbery  went 
on  unmolested. 

Plummer,  who  had  been  chief  of  the  band  of  road 
agents  or  roObbers,  had  likewise  succeeded  in  having 
himself  elected  sheriff  of  the  mining  district.  He 
appointed  two  of  his  band  deputies.  All  this  he 
accomplished  in  spite  of  his  well  known  character. 
In  the  meantime  an  honest  man  had  been  elected 
sheriff  of  the  mining  district  at  Virginia  City.  He 

193 


Wild   Life    in    the,   Rocky   Mountains 

was  informed  by  Plummer  that  lie  would  live  much 
longer  if  he  resigned  his  office  in  favor  of  Plummer. 
Fear  of  assassination  compelled  him  to  do  as  bidden 
and  Plummer  (became  sheriff  of  both  places  with  his 
robber  deputies  to  execute  the  law.  The  people  of 
Montana  were  thus  at  the  mercy  of  the  thieves  and 
robbers.  One  of  Plummer  7s  deputies  was  an  honest 
man,  and,  becoming  too  well  versed  in  the  doings  of 
the  sheriff  and  his  associates,  was  sentenced  to  death 
by  the  road  agents  and  publicly  shot  by  Amos 
Lyon,  Buck  Stinison,  and  Jack  Gallager,  three  of  the 
band. 

There  was  no  longer  any  security  of  life  or  prop- 
erty. No  one  dared  go  outside  of  Virginia  City  after 
dark,  nor  risk  their  lives  'by  informing  upon  those 
who  had  robbed  or  wounded  them  on  the  road.  Brutal 
murders  occurred  every  day.  The  citizens  were  afraid 
even  to  lift  the  hand  of  a  dying  man  for  fear  they 
would  be  murdered  also.  A  man  who  had  been  sen- 
tenced to  be  whipped  for  stealing,  in  order  to  escape 
the  punishment,  offered  to  inform  upon  the  road 
agents.  He  was  met  soon  after  by  one  of  their  num- 
ber, George  Ives,  in  daylight  on  the  leading  hfghway 
to  Virginia  City,  and,  in  the  sight  of  several  houses 
and  several  passing  teams,  was  shot  and  killed  and 
his  horse  taken  off  to  the  mountains. 

A  Dutchman  had  sold  some  mules,  and,  having 
received  the  money  in  advance,  went  to  the  ranch  to 
obtain  them  and  take  them  to  purchasers.  He  was 
met  by  Ives  while  returning  and  murdered  and 
rotted  of  both  money  and  mules.  The  sight  of  this 

194 


Bill  Hunter,   the  Last   Road  Agent 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

man's  body  brought  into  town  in  a  cart  stirred  the 
blood  of  the  honest  men  of  the  community  and  they 
determined  to  capture  and  hang  the  murderer.  A 
party  of  well  armed  citizens  scoured  the  country,  sur- 
prised accomplices  of  the  murderer,  and  obtained 
from  them  a  confession  that  George  Ives  was  the 
murderer.  By  the  following  evening  he  was  cap- 
tured and  taken  a  prisoner  into  Nevada  City.  He 
was  given  a  trial.  The  bench  was  a  wagon.  The 
jury  twenty-four  honest  men.  About  two  thousand 
aroused  citizens  stood  guard  with  guns  in  hand  while 
the  trial  proceeded  with  their  eyes  upon  the  desper- 
adoes who  had  gathered  in  force  to  aid,  support,  and, 
possible,  to  rescue  their  comrade  in  crime.  Lawyers 
were  heard  on  both  sides.  Reliable  witnesses  proved 
the  prisoner  guilty  of  many  murders  and  robberies. 
Condemned  to  death,  his  captors  foiled  every  attempt 
at  rescue  and  held  the  prisoner  with  cocked  and  lev- 
eled guns.  It  was  a  moonlight  night  and  the  camp- 
fire  made  it  almost  as  light  as  day  all  around.  Dur- 
ing the  shouts,  yells,  and  murderous  threats  of  the 
ruffians  the  cowardly  murderer  was  led  to  the  gal- 
lows upon  which  he  was  hung  for  his  many  crimes. 


197 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

A  REIGN  OF  TEKROK 

The  next  day  the  far-famed  Vigilantes  of  Montana 
were  organized.  Five  brave  men  in  Nevada  City,  an 
adjoining  mining  town,  and  one  in  Virginia  City 
formed  the  secret  league  which  opposed,  on  the  side 
of  law  order,  force  to  force,  and  dread  to  dread  against 
the  road  agents'  organization.  Their  work  was  sure 
and  punishment  swift.  Their  power  was  great  and 
the  Vigilance  Committee,  whose  numbers  soon 
exceeded  two  hundred  brave  men,  soon  became  a  ter- 
ror to  outlaws  as  the  road  agents  had  formerly  been 
to  the  honest  and  industrious  men  of  the  country. 

Brown  and  Vagar,  alias  Red,  the  two  confessed 
accomplices  of  George  Ives,  lived  on  and  superin- 
tended a  pasture  ranch  owned  by  Plummer  and  Ires 
on  Stinking  Water  bottom  three  miles  from  Virginia 
City.  The  Vigilantes,  upon  searching  their  cabin, 
found  letters  and  papers  in  a  valise  which  convinced 
them  that  the  cabin  was  the  headquarters  of  the  rob- 
ber band.  A  letter  written  by  Plummer  to  George 
Ives  was  found  which  told  of  several  robberies  which 
had  been  committed  near  Bannock.  Other  letters 
and  papers  were  found  pertaining  to  the  organization 
of  the  band,  also  their  by-laws,  rules,  and  regulations. 
Among  the  other  papers  a  memorandum  book  was 
discovered  which  contained  a  list  of  names  and  resi- 

198 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

dences  of  all  who  belonged  to  the  band.  Plummer 
headed  the  list  as  captain  and  chief  of  the  band  of 
road  agents.  George  Ives  and  Jack  Gallager  were 
next  on  the  list  as  his  lieutenants,  Vagar,  alias  Red, 
was  the  secretary  of  the  band. 

After  they  had  examined  all  of  the  papers  and 
found  that  they  were  on  the  right  track  of  the  band, 
they  took  Brown  and  Red  and  hung  them  on  limbs 
of  the  nearest  trees,  where  they  were  left  hanging  for 
several  days  as  a  warning  to  evil  doers.  No  one  knew 
of  the  hanging  except  the  Vigilantes.  A  man  who 
went  to  the  ranch  the  next  day  to  look  after  his  stock, 
saw  the  two  men  hanging  to  the  trees  in  different 
places.  He  was  greatly  shocked  and  excited,  and, 
hastening  back  to  town,  told  that  the  timber  was  full 
of  dead  men  hanging  to  the  trees. 

The  Vigilantes,  after  hanging  Brown  and  Red,  hur- 
ried into  Bannock  and  arrested  Plummer,  chief  of 
the  band.  Plummer  wanted  to  know  the  cause  of 
his  arrest  and  their  authority  for  making  the  arrest. 
The  captain  of  the  Vigilantes  took  from  his  pocket  the 
memorandum  book  which  contained  the  names  of  all 
of  the  road  agents  that  belonged  to  the  band  with 
Henry  Plummer  at  the  head  of  the  list.  After  he  had 
finished  reading  the  names  Plummer  replied: 

"That  sounds  like  my  death  warrant  and  I  am  at 
your  mercy." 

Plummer  then  said  that  he  did  not  want  to  be  hung 
and  begged  to  be  banished.  He  said  that  if  they 
would  agree  to  banish  him  he  would  leave  the  country 
and  never  return  and  that  he  would  live  a  better  life. 

199 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

He  would  be  willing  to  walk  in  his  bare  feet  to  Salt 
Lake  City  as  a  part  of  his  punishment.  The  rule  of 
the  Vigilantes,  however,  was  quick  work  and  no  com- 
promise. Plummer  was  executed  on  a  gallows  that 
he  had  himself  erected  while  acting  as  sheriff. 

Ned  Kay,  Buck  Stimson,  John  "Wagoner  and  two 
others  belonging  to  the  band  were  hung  in  Bannock 
the  next  day.  The  Vigilantes  then  returned  to  Vir- 
ginia City,  where  they  arrested  and  hung  George  Law, 
Prank  Parish,  Haze  Lyons,  Jack  Gallager  and  Boone 
Helm,  all  of  whom  belonged  to  Plummer 's  band. 
Robert  Zackery,  Cyrus  Skinner,  Alexander  Carter 
and  John  Cooper,  who  were  trying  to  make  their 
escape  across  the  mountains  were  followed  by  twenty- 
five  Vigilantes,  who  overtook  them  and  hung  them  at 
a  gap  in  the  mountains  known  as  Hell's  Gate. 

The  Vigilantes,  in  order  to  put  an  end  to  the  long 
reign  of  terror,  assumed  the  duties  of  captors,  judges, 
jurors  and  executioners.  They  were  not,  however, 
guilty  of  excesses.  Their  aim  was  to  strike  terror  to 
all  who  had  defied  the  weak  arm  of  the  law  by  sure, 
swift  and  secret  punishment  of  crime.  In  no  case  was 
a  criminal  hanged  without  evidence  to  prove  him 
guilty.  How  closely  they  followed  the  line  in  this 
respect  is  shown  by  the  dying  remarks  of  one  of  the 
last  men  hanged  by  their  order,  who  said : 

"You  have  done  right.  Not  an  innocent  man 
hanged  yet." 

It  was  understood  that  the  work  that  they  had 
undertaken  to  perform  should  be  thoroughly  done. 
That  there  should  be  no  half-way  measures — no 

200 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

reprieves,  the  verdict  having  once  been  rendered.  The 
thieves  came  to  know  this  in  time  and  found  their 
occupation  lost,  together  with  their  lives.  Many  of 
these  hardened  desperadoes  died  as  they  had  lived 
without  fear  or  remorse.  One  awaiting  his  turn  on 
the  gallows,  at  an  execution  of  five,  looking  at  the 
quivering  body  of  his  comrade  cried  out  in  a  loud 
voice : 

"Kick  away,  old  fellow.  Ill  be  in  hell  with  you  in 
a  minute." 

Another,  while  in  the  convulsions  of  the  death 
struggle,  performed  all  the  movement  of  a  personal 
engagement,  drawing  his  revolver  from  his  belt,  cock- 
ing it  and  firing  off  the  six  barrels  at  an  imaginary  foe 
whose  presence  disturbed  his  fleeting  moments.  The 
living  passion  was  strong  in  death.  One  of  the  road 
agents,  before  he  was  hung,  affirmed  the  justice  of  the 
acts  of  the  Vigilance  Committee  and  disclosed  the 
mysteries  of  the  road  agents  in  their  particular  way 
of  shaving,  a  particular  kind  of  a  neck  tie  and  their 
pass  word,  which  was  "innocence/' 

One  of  their  rules  was  not  to  hold  up  anyone  or 
attempt  to  rob  anyone  without  being  sure  that  they 
had  money.  It  was  known,  however,  that  they  made 
one  mistake.  A  man,  who  was  traveling  from  Bivens 
Gulch  to  Virginia  City,  was  met  by  two  road  agents, 
who  demanded  his  money.  He  gave  them  his  purse 
which  contained  only  a  few  pennyweights  of  gold. 
They  took  the  purse  and  searched  him  for  more.  Not 
finding  any  more  they  returned  his  purse  and  gave 
him  several  kicks  for  not  having  any  more.  They 

201 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

told  him  that  if  they  should  meet  him  in  the  future 
without  money  they  would  kill  him.  It  is  perhaps 
needless  to  say  that  that  man  never  left  camp  very 
far  without  having  several  ounces  of  gold  with  him. 
As  an  instance  of  the  severe  labor,  exposure,  and 
real  hardship  encountered  by  the  Vigilance  Commit- 
tee, we  will  take  a  single  pursuit  and  capture,  that  of 
William  Hunter.  At  the  time  of  the  execution  of 
Boone,  Helm  and  his  five  confederates  Hunter  man- 
aged to  elude  his  pursuers  by  hiding  by  day  among 
the  rocks  and  brush,  and  seeking  food  by  night  among 
the  scattered  settlements  along  the  Gallatin  Eiver. 
Four  of  the  Vigilantes,  determined  and  resolute  men, 
voluntered  to  arrest  him.  They  crossed  the  divide  and 
forded  the  Madison  when  huge  cakes  of  ice  swirled 
down  on  the  flanks  of  their  horses,  threatening  to  carry 
them  down.  Their  camping  ground  was  the  frozen 
earth  and  the  weather  extremely  cold.  They  slept 
under  their  blankets  by  the  fire  they  had  built.  One, 
sleeping  on  a  hillock,  with  his  feet  to  the  fire,  slid  into 
it  and  was  startled  out  of  his  sleep. 

Next  day  their  way  led  them  through  a  severe  snow 
storm,  which  they  welcomed,  however,  as  an  ally. 
They  reached  Milk  Ranch,  twenty  miles  from  their 
destination,  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  They 
got  their  supper  and  proceeded  after  dark  with  a 
guide  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  country.  At 
midnight  they  arrived  at  the  cabin  where  they  had 
been  told  that  Hunter  had  been  driven  to  seek  refuge 
from  the  severe  cold  and  storm.  They  halted, 

202 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

unsaddled  their  horses,  and  rapped  loudly  at  the  door. 
It  was  opened  by  a  man  to  whom  they  said : 

"Good  evening." 

"I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  or  not,"  replied  the 
man. 

Upon  being  admitted  into  the  cabin,  they  found 
three  persons,  two  visible  and  one  covered  up  in  bed. 
The  Vigilantes  made  themselves  as  comfortable  as 
possible  before  the  blazing  fire  on  the  hearth.  They 
talked  of  mining,  prospecting,  panning  out,  and  terms 
of  that  character  as  if  they  were  traveling  miners  and 
not  armed  officers  of  the  law  who  had  tracked  to  his 
lair  the  crime-stained  desperado.  Before  going  to 
sleep  they  carefuly  examined  the  premises  as  to  exits 
and  placed  themselves  in  such  a  manner  as  to  com- 
mand the  only  entrance.  They  did  not  say  anything 
about  their  business  until  early  the  next  morning 
when  the  horses  were  saddled  and  they  appeared  ready 
to  proceed  on  their  journey. 

Then  they  asked  who  the  sleeper  was  who  had  never 
spoken  or  uncovered  his  head.  The  reply  was  that 
he  was  unknown ;  had  been  there  two  days,  driven  in 
by  the  storm.  Asked  to  describe  him  the  description 
was  that  of  Hunter.  The  Vigilantes  then  went  to  the 
bed,  and,  laying  a  firm  hand  on  the  sleeper,  gripped 
the  revolvers  held  by  him  in  his  hands  beneath  the 
bed  clothes.  Bill  Hunter  was  called  upon  to  arise 
and  behold  grim  men  with  guns  leveled  at  his  head. 
He  asked  to  be  taken  to  Virginia  City,  but  he  soon 
found  that  a  shorter  road  lay  before  him.  Two  miles 
from  there  they  halted  beneath  a  tree  with  a  branch 

203 


Wild   Life    in    the    Rocky    Mountains 

over  which  a  rope  could  be  thrown  and  a  spur  to 
which  the  end  could  be  fastened.  Scraping  away  a 
foot  of  snow,  they  built  a  fire  and  cooked  breakfast. 
After  breakfast  they  consulted  and  took  a  vote  as  to 
the  disposition  of  the  prisoner. 

That  vote  decided  that  his  execution  was  to  be  with- 
out delay.  The  perils  of  the  long  tramp  over  the 
mountain  divide,  the  recrossing  of  the  icy  stream, 
the  small  force  involved  in  his  capture,  and  the  cer- 
tainty of  an  attempt  at  rescue  when  his  capture  became 
known  to  his  accomplices  all  served  to  determine 
his  execution  as  speedily  as  possible.  The  long  list  of 
crimes  he  had  committed  was  read  to  him  and  he  was 
asked  to  plead  any  extenuating  circumstance  in  his 
behalf.  There  were  none  and  he  remained  silent.  He 
had  once  been  an  honest,  hard-working  man  and  was 
believed  to  be  an  upright  citizen.  In  an  evil  hour  he 
joined  his  fortunes  with  Plummer's  band.  His  only 
request  was  that  his  friends  in  the  States  should  not 
be  informed  as  to  the  manner  of  his  death.  Thus  died 
the  last  of  Plummer's  famous  band  of  outlaws.  The 
Vigilantes  never  buried  their  dead.  Hunter  was  left 
hanging  several  days  and  was  found  and  buried  by  a 
party  of  prospectors. 

Before  the  Vigilantes  started  to  arrest  Hunter,  they 
circulated  the  report  that  a  rich  gold  discovery  had 
been  made  on  the  Gallatin  River  that  yielded  a  hun- 
dred dollars  to  the  pan.  More  than  a  hundred  miners 
started  for  the  reported  new  diggings.  Thomas  and 
two  miners  joined  the  stampede  and  were  prospecting 
in  the  valley  when  Hunter  was  arrested.  They  met 

104 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

the  four  Vigilantes  with  Hunter  after  his  arrest. 
They  claimed  to  be  prospectors  looking  for  the  new 
discovery.  They  had  their  tools  and  camping  outfit 
with  them.  Thomas  and  party  wondered  why  one  of 
the  prospectors  was  so  much  better  dressed  than  the 
others.  The  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Gallatin  proved 
a  fake  and  the  arrest  and  hanging  of  Hunter  was  not, 
known  to  most  of  the  prospectors  until  after  they  had 
returned  to  Virginia  City. 


205 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
ROAD  AGENTS  AND  VIGILANTES 

The  Vigilantes  still  retained  their  authority  after 
the  extermination  of  the  road  agent  organization  and 
continued  to  punish  robbers  and  murderers.  Among 
all  of  the  executions  of  the  Vigilance  Committee  of 
Montana,  none  occasioned  so  much  regret  or  adverse 
criticism  as  that  of  Joseph  Alford  Slade.  He  was  once 
a  member  of  that  organization  and  declared  himself  to 
be  in  favor  of  good  order  in  the  Territory.  To  the 
curse  of  liquor,  however,  is  due  the  course  which  led 
finally  to  his  death  at  the  hands  of  his  former  com- 
rades. 

He  was  born  and  raised  in  Illinois  and  came  of  a 
highly  respected  family  and  his  reputation  was  good 
while  living  at  home.  He  was  not  connected  in  any 
way  with  the  gang  of  outlaws  who  made  living  in  the 
Territory  a  dread  and  a  terror,  and  whose  death  at 
the  hands  of  the  law-abiding  citizens  was  their  just 
desert  for  their  dark  crimes  and  numerous  deeds  of 
bloodshed.  The  acts  that  made  him  noted  were  per- 
formed in  another  part  of  the  west,  chiefly  on  the  old 
overland  mail  route  where  for  years  he  was  a  trusted 
official. 

He  was  a  man  of  good  business  qualifications  and 
possessed  the  knack  of  making  money  where  others 
failed.  He  was  withal  an  honest,  kind-hearted,  intel- 

206 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

ligent  man,  noted  for  his  strong  friendships  and 
generous  qualities  and  the  power  of  attracting  the 
favorable  notice  of  even  strangers.  There  are  today 
a  multitude  of  men  in  the  far  west  possessing  a  full 
knowledge  of  all  the  leading  incidents  of  his  life,  many 
of  whom  were  associated  with  him  in  business,  who 
still  speak  of  him  as  a  perfect  gentlemen,  and,  not 
only  deplore  his  death,  but  also  denounce  his  execution 
as  murder. 

To  the  habits  of  intemperance  which  grew  with  his 
years  and  excited  the  wild  lawlessness  that  eventually 
ended  his  career  on  the  gallows  must  be  attributed 
the  remarkable  changes  which  reversed  his  nature  and 
converted  him  from  a  good,  law-abiding  citizen  to 
an  outlaw  whose  acts  under  its  influences  were  deemed 
worthy  of  death.  Slade  was  a  Division  Superin- 
tendent on  the  mail  line  running  from  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  to  Salt  Lake  City.  His  division  included 
that  part  of  the  line  beginning  at  the  Upper  Crossing 
of  the  South  Platte  Eiver  to  Rocky  Eidge,  known  as 
the  Sweetwater  Division. 

Much  has  been  related  of  his  encounter  with  Jules 
Beni,  and  his  subsequent  death  at  the  hands  of  Slade 
has  been  made  the  subject  of  much  comment  by  his 
enemies.  There  have  been  numerous  versions  of  the 
affair,  but  my  source  of  information  leaves  no  room 
for  doubt  as  to  its  correctness.  Jules  Beni  was  a 
Frenchman  who  kept  the  station  at  the  Upper  Cross- 
ing and  from  whom  the  town  of  Julesburg  received 
its  name.  He  was  known  and  feared  for  his  lawless 
character  and  high-handed  acts  in  dealing  with  the 

207 


Wild   Life    in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

stock  of  the  line.  Constant  feuds  arising  therefrom 
first  induced  the  company  in  1858  to  appoint  Slade  to 
the  agency  of  that  division.  Jules  would  not  willingly 
submit  to  the  authority  of  the  new  agent,  nor  in  fact 
to  anyone  whom  he  could  intimidate.  But  Slade, 
being  a  man  of  most  determined  will,  would  not  brook 
the  interference  of  Jules.  The  mutual  dislike  finally 
led  to  an  open  rupture.  Jules  had  discharged  a  man 
and  Slade  re-employed  him.  Jules  had  hidden  some 
of  the  stock  and  Slade  recovered  it  for  the  company. 
This  brought  matters  to  a  crisis.  This  difference  was 
smoothed  over  and  the  matter  was  thought  to  be 
settled. 

It  appears,  however,  that  the  matter  still  rankled 
in  the  Frenchman's  heart  and  that  he  was  only  waiting 
for  a  suitable  opportunity  to  kill  his  adversary.  One 
day  in  the  early  spring  of  1859,  Slade  chanced  to  be 
at  the  Upper  Crossing.  He  and  some  of  the  stage 
boys  and  Jules  were  all  in  the  corral  talking.  Jules 
was  the  first  to  leave  and  enter  the  house.  He  was 
followed  soon  after  by  Slade,  who  said  that  he  would 
go  in  and  get  something  to  eat.  There  were  two 
houses — one  an  adobe,  where  Jules  lived,  the  other 
a  frame  structure  in  which  the  stage  boys  were  served 
their  meals.  As  Slade  was  about  to  enter  the  frame 
structure,  the  boys  saw  Jules  come  out  of  the  abode 
with  a  pistol  in  his  hand.  One  of  them  called  out  to 
Slade: 

"Look  out.    He  is  going  to  shoot.' ' 

As  Slade,  who  Was  unarmed,  turned  suddenly  about 
he  received  three  shots  from  Jules'  revolver.  Slade 

208 


Wild   Life    in   the    Rocky   Mountains 

did  not  fall,  however,  and  Jules,  wishing  to  finish  his 
bloody  work,  reached  within  the  door  for  a  double- 
barreled  shotgun  and  fired  the  contents  of  both 
barrels  into  Blade's  body.  He  fell  and  Jules,  sup- 
posing that  he  had  killed  him,  told  the  boys  they 
could  bury  him  in  a  new  dry  goods  box  he  had 
received  a  short  time  before.  Slade,  hearing  the 
remark,  raised  himself  up  slightly  and  said: 

"It  is  not  necessary  to  make  such  preparations,  as 
I  do  not  intend  to  die.  I  shall  live  to  avenge  the 
cowardly  attack  of  Jules. ' ' 

He  was  taken  into  the  house,  received  prompt  atten- 
tion, and  in  a  few  weeks  was  able  to  be  moved  to  his 
old  home  at  Carlisle,  Illinois,  where  he  rapidly 
recovered  and,  in  due  time,  returned  to  his  duties  on 
the  stage  line.  After  realizing  the  situation  and  dis- 
cussing the  cowardice  of  the  attack  and  lack  of  provo- 
cation, the  stage  boys  decided  to  be  executioners 
themselves.  They  strung  a  pole  across  two  large 
freight  wagons  and  hung  Jules  Beni  to  the  beam. 
At  this  instant  the  General  Superintendent  of  the 
whole  division  arrived  and  cut  him  down  before  life 
was  extinct.  After  his  revival  and  it  was  discovered 
that  Slade  would  live,  he  was  offered  his  freedom  on 
condition  that  he  would  leave  the  country.  Jules 
gladly  accepted  the  condition  and  left  for  Denver. 

At  this  time  there  was  no  legal  tribunal  near  at 
hand  before  which  he  could  be  tried  and  punished  for 
his  crime.  There  was  no  law  from  the  Missouri  River 
to  California  except  the  miners'  courts  at  Denver  and 
in  Nevada  and  the  Mormon  tribunal  at  Salt  Lake  City. 

209 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

Colorado  was  not  then  a  Territory.  There  was  a  kind 
of  a  provisional  government.  The  name  was  Jefferson 
changed  to  Colorado  when  the  Territory  was 
organized. 

When  Slade  recovered  from  his  wounds  and 
returned  to  his  field  of  duty,  he  was  disposed  to  avoid 
his  assailant.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  send  word 
to  Jules  that  he  would  not  hurt  him,  but  warned  him 
to  keep  out  of  his  immediate  neighborhood.  They 
were  now  a  long  way  apart  and  Jules  would  have  to 
come  all  of  the  way  from  Denver  to  Julesburg  to 
reach  the  vicinity  of  Slade 's  labors.  Nevertheless,  he 
did  come  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  met  his  death  at 
the  hands  of  Slade. 

Two  years  afterward  in  August,  1861,  Slade  was 
proceeding  over  his  division  from  Rocky  Ridge 
Sweetwater  eastward  when  he  heard  that  Jules  was 
nearby  driving  some  stock  over  the  regular  stage  road 
that  he  was  obliged  to  pass  over  in  the  performance 
of  his  duties.  Slade 's  family  lived  at  Horseshoe, 
thirty  or  forty  miles  west  of  Fort  Laramie.  He 
stopped  there  and  remained  a  week  in  order  to  let 
Jules  pass  out  of  the  country  with  his  stock.  Again 
proceeding  east  over  his  division  a  week  later  he 
found  on  reaching  Laramie  that  Jules  had  not  gone 
out  of  the  country,  but  was  only  twelve  miles  distant. 
After  a  consultation  with  some  of  his  friends,  he 
determined  to  capture  and  kill  his  adversary,  for  he 
was  told  that  if  he  proceeded  on  his  way  Jules  would 
fire  on  him  from  ambush  and  kill  him  and  perhaps 
others  in  the  attempt.  A  plan  was  formed  and  Jules 

210 


Wild   Life   in   the   Eocky   Mountains 

was  captured  twenty  miles  east  of  Laramie,  Slade 
arriving  soon  after  and  took  the  matter  into  his  own 
hands  and  shot  him  to  death.  Jules  offered  stern 
resistance  to  his  captors,  firing  upon  them  several 
times,  and  was  secured  after  a  running  fight  in  which 
one  shot  took  effect. 

After  his  death  a  Frenchman  by  the  name  of 
Bordeau  was  chosen  to  select  sufficient  stock  to  reim- 
burse Slade  for  expenses  incurred  while  recover- 
ing from  Beni's  murderous  attack  two  years  before. 
The  remainder  of  his  stock  and  the  money  on  his 
person  was  disposed  of  in  accordance  with  his  own 
directions.  In  justification  of  this  deed  of  blood- 
shed on  the  part  of  Slade,  it  was  stated  that  the 
Frenchman  lingered  on  the  road  for  the  purpose  of 
a  hostile  meeting  with  Slade;  that  he  often  indulged 
in  such  expressions  as  "I  have  come  for  a  topnot 
and  I  am  going  to  have  it."  "Not  afraid  of  any 

d d  driver,  express  rider,  or  anyone  else  in  the 

mail  company."  Slade 's  friends,  therefore,  made  him 
believe  that  if  he  did  not  kill  Beni  he  would  himself 
be  slaughtered  by  him.  The  mail  company  which 
employed  him  and  a  military  tribunal  at  Laramie,  the 
nearest  for  fifteen  hundred  miles,  to  which  he  gave 
himself  up  after  shooting  Beni,  exonerated  him. 

It  was  said  by  others,  but  denied  by  Slade 's  friends 
that,  after  killing  Jules,  he  cut  off  his  ears  and  carried 
them  in  his  vest  pocket  for  a  long  time,  and  that  he 
prolonged  the  agony  of  his  enemy  by  shooting  him 
by  degrees.  It  was  also  said  that  he  was  quarrelsome 
on  the  line  of  his  division,  and  one  occasion  killed 

211 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

the  father  of  a  little  half-breed  boy  whom  he  after- 
wards adopted  and  who  lived  with  his  widow  after 
his  execution.  It  was  also  said  that  on  another  occa- 
sion, some  emigrants  having  their  stock  either  lost 
or  stolen,  Slade,  on  being  informed  of  it,  went  with 
one  of  them  to  the  ranch,  the  owner  of  which  he  sus- 
pected of  stealing  stock  and,  opening  fire  upon  them 
through  the  door,  killed  three  and  wounded  the  fourth. 
Stories  of  his  hanging  men  and  of  numerous  assaults, 
shootings,  and  beatings  in  which  he  was  said  to  be 
the  principal  actor  form  part  of  the  stories  of  the 
vanished  stage  lines.  This,  then,  is  the  reputation 
which  preceded  him  to  Virginia  City,  to  which  place 
he  went  in  the  spring  of  1863.  During  the  following 
summer  he  went  to  Milk  River  as  a  freighter,  where 
he  accumulated  great  gains  but  spent  them  lavishly. 

After  the  execution  of  the  six  men  at  Virginia  City 
and  Hunter's  execution  in  the  Gallatin  Valley,  the 
Vigilantes  considered  their  work  accomplished.  Now 
that  they  had  freed  the  Territory  of  highwaymen 
and  murders  they  determined,  in  the  absence  of  the 
regular  civil  authority,  to  establish  a  provisional 
court  where  all  offenders  might  be  tried  by  judge 
and  jury.  It  was  the  fact  that  Slade  tore  in  pieces 
and  stamped  upon  a  writ  of  this  court,  organized  in 
the  interest  of  peace  and  social  order  and  civil 
authority,  and  menaced  its  judge  at  the  point  of  a 
derringer  that  formed  the  culminating  act  that  led 
to  his  execution. 

He  had  never  been  accused  of  murder  or  even  sus- 
pected of  robbery  in  the  Territory.  The  latter  crime 

212 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

had  never  been  imputed  to  him  anywhere.  His  law- 
less acts  while  intoxicated  and  his  defiance  of  duly 
accredited  civil  authority  led  to  the  belief  that,  as 
he  had  killed  men  in  other  places,  he  would,  unless 
checked  in  his  wild  career,  commit  the  same  acts  in 
Virginia  City.  After  his  return  from  Milk  River,  his 
intemperate  habits  increased  so  fearfully  that  his 
demonstrations  were  perfectly  violent.  It  became  a 
common  thing  for  him  to  take  the  town  by  storm. 
He  and  his  pals  would  gallop  on  horseback  through  its 
main  streets  shooting  and  yelling  like  devils,  firing 
their  revolvers,  riding  their  horses  within  the  open 
doors  of  stores,  destroying  the  goods  and  insulting  the 
inmates. 

He  was  warned  many  times  by  his  friends  that  his 
lawless  conduct  would  end  in  certain  punishment, 
He  paid  no  attention  to  their  warnings,  however,  and 
kept  on  in  his  lawless  course  until  the  public  daily 
expected  some  bloody  outrage  at  his  hands.  Finally 
after  one  of  his  all-night  carousals,  in  which  he  and 
his  companions  had  made  the  town  a  pandemonium, 
he  was  arrested  by  the  Sheriff  and  taken  before  Judge 
Davis.  While  the  warrant  of  his  arrest  was  being 
read,  he  seized  the  writ  and  tore  it  in  pieces  stamping 
on  it  in  mad  fury.  Only  the  day  before  he  had 
threatened  to  murder  a  peaceful  citizen  who  had 
merely  remonstrated  against  his  riding  his  horse  into 
his  store,  and  now  he  sought  out  Judge  Davis  and 
threatened  his  life  with  a  loaded  pistol.  This  act  of 
violence  sealed  his  doom. 

213 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

The  Vigilance  Committee  was  once  more  called 
together,  and,  after  deliberation,  passed  sentence  of 
death  upon  him.  Loath  to  perform  this  act,  they 
were  forced  by  public  opinion  to  execute  it.  More 
than  six  hundred  miners  marched  in  a  body  to  the 
Committee  and  demanded  his  execution.  In  the  mean- 
time Slade  had  found  out  what  was  intended  and 
was  instantly  sobered  by  the  information.  He  went 
to  Judge  Davis  and  made  a  humble  apology  for  his 
violent  conduct.  Nevertheless  it  was  too  late.  The 
head  of  the  column  turned  into  Wallace  Street  and 
stopped  in  front  of  the  store  where  he  was  in  the 
act  of  apologizing  to  Judge  Davis,  arrested  him,  and 
informed  him  of  his  doom.  He  now  began  to  plead 
for  his  life  and  to  see  his  wife  who  was  living  on  their 
ranch  on  the  Madison  twelve  miles  distant  from 
Virginia  City.  A  message  from  Slade  bore  to  her  the 
news  of  his  peril.  In  a  moment  she  was  in  the  saddle 
and  urging  her  fleetest  horse  over  the  rocky  road  to 
Virginia  City. 

Meanwhile  preparations  were  being  made  for  his 
execution.  A  beam  was  laid  across  the  top  of  the 
high  gate  posts  of  thfe  corral  near  the  site  of  Russell's 
stone  buildings  to  which  the  rope  was  fastened.  A 
dry  goods  box  served  for  the  platform  of  the  gallows. 
Slade,  surrounded  by  a  guard  of  a  thousand  resolute 
and  determined  men,  was  carried  to  this  place.  He 
was  so  exhausted  by  his  lamentations,  appeals,  and 
prayers  that  he  was  wellnigh  unable  to  stand  beneath 
the  beam  while  they  adjusted  the  rope  about  his  neck. 

214 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

He  still  begged  to  see  his  wife  and  kept  calling  her 
name  and  exclaiming: 

"My  God!  My  God!  Must  I  die?  Oh,  my  dear 
wife!" 

All  things  being  ready,  the  command  was  given : 

"Men,  do  your  duty." 

The  box  was  quickly  slipped  from  beneath  his  feet 
and  he  died  almost  instantly.  His  body  was  removed 
to  the  Virginia  Hotel,  where  it  had  been  scarcely  laid 
out  when  his  unfortunate  wife  arrived,  only  to  find 
him  dead  in  the  darkened  room.  With  heart-rending 
cries  she  bewailed  his  death.  It  was  long  before  her 
grief  and  tears  ceased  over  her  sudden  and  extreme 
bereavement.  Such  was  the  close  of  the  career  of 
Joseph  Alfred  Slade,  the  idol  of  his  followers  and 
the  terror  of  his  foes. 

There  were  but  few  more  executions  by  the 
Vigilance  Committee  after  that  of  Slade.  Peace  and 
order  reigned  throughout  the  mining  country.  When 
acts  of  violence  occurred  punishment  soon  followed. 
James  Brady,  a  saloon-keeper  in  the  lower  town  known 
as  Nevada  City,  was  tried,  condemned  and  hung  for 
shooting  a  man  by  the  name  of  Murphy,  against  whom 
he  bore  a  grudge.  Before  his  death  he  wrote  the 
following  letter,  which  was  found  in  his  saloon. 
"My  Dear  Wife: 

"You  will  never  see  me  again.  In  an  evil  hour,  being 
under  the  influence  of  whisky,  I  tried  to  take  the  life 
of  my  fellow  man.  I  tried  to  shoot  him  through  a 
window.  He  will,  in  all  probability,  die,  and  that  at 
my  hands.  I  can  not  say  that  I  should  not  suffer 

215 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

the  penalty  affixed  to  the  violation  of  the  law.  I  have 
been  arrested,  tried  and  sentenced  to  hang  by  the 
Vigilance  Committee.  In  one  short  hour  I  will  have 
gone  into  eternity.  By  the  love  I  feel  for  you  in  this, 
my  dying  hour,  I  entreat  you  to  be  a  good  woman. 
Walk  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord.  Keep  Heaven,  God 
and  the  interest  of  your  soul  before  your  eyes.  I 
commend  you  to  the  keeping  of  God.  Pray  for  my 
soul.  Farewell  forever. 

"Your  husband, 

"James  Brady. " 

In  July  following,  Jim  Kelly  was  hung  for  horse 
stealing  at  Oliver's  Station  on  the  line  of  the  Salt 
Lake  and  Montana  stage  road.  "While  he  was  yet  on 
the  trap  some  Shoshone  Indian  warriors  came  up  and 
viewed  the  proceedings  with  evident  amazement. 
When  the  plank  was  knocked  from  under  him  and 
he  was  swung  into  eternity,  the  Indians  gave  a  loud 
"Ugh"  and  started  at  full  speed  for  their  camp. 
They  had  never  before  seen  a  man  killed  in  that 
manner  and  were  thoroughly  frightened.  They  seemed 
to  fear  that  the  same  death  would  be  meted  out  to 
them. 

Late  in  the  month  of  August,  a  man  by  the  name 
of  James  Bradley  of  Nevada  was  robbed  of  seven 
hundred  dollars  in  gold  by  John  Dolan,  alias  Hard 
Hat,  who  had  been  living  with  him.  He  made  his 
escape  and  started  for  Salt  Lake  City,  but  was 
followed  by  the  Vigilance  Committee,  captured  and 
brought  back  to  Nevada  City,  where  he  was  executed 

216 


Wild   Life   in    the   Rocky   Mountains 

for  the  crime  on  the  seventeenth  of  September  in  the 
presence  of  six  thousand  spectators. 

B.  C.  Rawley  was  hung  at  Bannock  City  in  the 
same  month.  He  was  a  man  of  education  and  fine 
appearance  until  ruined  by  liquor.  He  had  once  been 
a  merchant  in  a  large  western  city.  The  next  execu- 
tion was  that  of  John  Kem,  alias  Bob  Block,  for  the 
murder  of  Harry  Slater,  a  professional  gambler. 
Shortly  afterward  occurred  the  capture  and  execu- 
tion of  Jack  Sillire,  alias  Jacob  Seacrist,  a  murderer  of 
twelve  years'  standing  and  the  slayer  of  twelve  men, 
all  of  which  he  confessed  before  the  rope  was  adjusted 
about  his  neck  and  he  was  swung  into  eternity. 

The  work  of  the  Committee  finally  drew  to  a  close. 
After  the  Territory  was  organized,  laws  enacted,  and 
courts  established  the  authority  of  the  Vigilantes 
ceased  and  they  were  glad  to  turn  over  their  authority 
to  the  civil  courts.  The  number  of  executions  by  the 
order  of  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  Montana  was 
thirty-two,  as  follows:  George  Ives,  at  Nevada  City; 
Eratus  Vagar,  alias  Red,  and  George  W.  Brown,  at 
Stinking  Water;  Henry  Plummer,  Ned  Ray,  Buck 
Stimson,  John  Wagoner  and  Joe  Pizanthie,  at  Ban- 
nock City;  George  Law,  Frank  Parish,  Haze  Lyons, 
Jack  Gallager  and  Boon  Helm,  at  Virginia  City,  Mon- 
tana ;  Steve  Marshland,  at  Big  Hole  Ranch ;  William 
Benton,  at  Deer  Lodge  Valley;  Robert  Zackery, 
Cyrus  Skinner,  Alexander  Carter  and  John  Cooper, 
at  Hell  Gate,  Montana;  George  Shears,  at  French- 
town,  Montana;  William  Graves,  at  Fort  Owen; 
William  Hunter,  at  Gallatin  Valley,  Montana; 

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Wild   Life   in    the    Rocky   Mountains 

B.  C.  Bawley,  at  Bannock  City;  J.  A.  Slade, 
at  Virginia  City;  James  Brady,  at  Virginia  City; 
Jim  Kelly,  at  Oliver  Station;  John  Dolan  at 
Nevada  City;  John  Daniels,  alias  Jacob  Seacrist,  at 
Hell  Gate;  James  Daniels,  at  Helena  City;  John 
Morgan  and  John  Jackson,  horse  thieves,  at  Virginia 
City ;  also  one  whose  name  was  unknown. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  all  of  whom  paid  the 
penalty  of  their  crimes  with  their  lives,  nearly  one 
hundred  were  banished  from  the  Territory.  It  was 
the  opinion  of  a  number  of  the  citizens,  perhaps  a 
majority,  that  hanging  was  too  severe  a  penalty  for 
stealing  unless  the  victim's  life  was  taken  or  endan- 
gered. The  number  of  people  who  had  been  killed 
by  the  road  agents  was  estimated  at  thirty  or  more. 
The  number  who  had  been  held  up  and  robbed  on 
the  road  between  Salt  Lake  City  and  Bannock  and 
Virginia  City  exceeded  two  hundred. 


118 


CHAPTER  XXV 
THE  Vow  MADE  GOOD — A  HAPPY  MAEKIAGE 

Thomas  was  acquainted  with  several  of  the  parties 
who  were  held  up  and  robbed.  During  the  time  that 
he  and  Jones  were  working  their  claim  in  Bivens 
Gulch,  two  masked  men  entered  the  Red  Rock  Saloon 
in  Bagdad  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  eleven  o'clock. 
They  shot  and  killed  the  proprietor  and  wounded  his 
partner,  the  bartender,  and  got  away  with  two  thou- 
sand dollars  in  gold.  The  bartender  was  shot  through 
the  neck,  the  ball  passing  between  the  jugular  vein 
and  the  windpipe.  Notwithstanding  the  close  call 
and  the  dangerous  wound,  the  bartender  was  up  and 
waiting  on  his  customers  in  less  than  a  month. 

It  was  afterward  supposed  that  Bill  Hunter  was 
one  of  the  men  who  did  the  shooting  and  robbed  the 
saloon.  There  was  a  miners'  meeting  in  Bagdad  the 
day  that  the  saloon  was  robbed  for  the  purpose  of 
settling  a  dispute  in  regard  to  a  mining  interest.  Most 
of  the  owners  of  Bivens  Gulch  were  present  at  the 
meeting.  Bill  Hunter  was  seen  in  the  crowd  and  in 
the  saloon  at  different  times  during  the  day.  He  had 
made  frequent  visits  to  the  Gulch,  it  was  supposed  for 
the  purpose  of  finding  out  who  were  making  money 
and  who  were  intending  to  leave  with  money.  After 
the  Vigilance  Committee  was  organized  and  the  names 
of  the  road  agents  known,  Bill  Hunter  was  not  seen 

219 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

or  heard  of  in  Bivens  Gulch.  He  was  executed  the 
next  year  in  the  Gallatin  Valley. 

The  mine  that  Thomas  and  Woodbury  discovered 
near  Bannock  City  proved  to  be  a  rich  claim.  After 
Woodbury  and  his  partners  had  taken  out  a  large 
amount  of  gold  which  they  kept  in  tins  cans  under 
their  bunks,  their  cabin  was  entered  one  night  by 
four  masked  men,  who  held  them  up  at  the  point  of 
a  pistol  and  robbed  them  of  all  the  gold  they  had 
taken  out. 

Captain  Dawson  and  Mont  White  owned  a  claim 
near  Bannock  City.  One  day  while  they  were  working 
their  claim,  two  horse  thieves  stole  two  of  their  best 
horses  and  rode  them  off  into  the  mountains.  Dawson, 
White  and  one  of  their  hired  men  followed  them.  The 
robbers,  who  were  concealed  behind  rocks  and  bushes 
a  short  distance  in  the  mountains,  fired  on  the  party, 
shooting  Dawson  and  White.  The  hired  man  escaped 
unhurt,  and,  returning  to  the  mines,  reported  what 
had  happened.  Dawson 's  brother  and  a  number  of 
miners  went  with^  the  hired  man  to  the  place  where 
the  party  had  been  attacked.  They  found  Dawson 
and  White  both  dead,  shot  through  their  bodies  with 
buckshot. 

It  seemed  that  the  robbers  had  made  a  hasty  retreat 
after  the  shooting,  perhaps  fearing  a  larger  party  in 
pursuit.  Dawson  and  White  were  not  robbed  of  either 
their  gold  watches  or  the  gold  that  they  had  with  them ; 
neither  were  their  horses  taken.  They  were  found 
near  their  dead  bodies.  They  were  the  last  men 
killed  by  robbers  or  road  agents,  as  the  Vigilance 

220 


Wild   Life   in   the   Rocky   Mountains 

Committee  was  organized  a  few  days  after  Dawson 
and  White  were  killed.  Thereafter  the  robbers  and 
road  agents  were  kept  busy  trying  to  escape  the 
punishment  that  they  deserved. 

After  Thomas  and  Jones  finished  working  their 
claim  on  Bivens  Gulch,  Thomas  bought  an  interest  in 
a  rich  claim  in  the  Pine  Grove  District,  eight  miles 
from  Virginia  City,  where  he  followed  mining  while  he 
remained  in  the  gold  region  of  Montana. 

When  the  last  of  the  road  agents  had  been  executed, 
a  large  number  of  miners,  who  had  made  their  pile 
at  mining  and  had  been  afraid  to  leave  the  country 
for  fear  of  being  held  up  and  robbed,  started  for  their 
homes.  Thomas,  who  had  been  away  from  his  old 
Beech  Woods  home  for  more  than  seven  years,  most  of 
which  time  he  had  spent  in  the  mountains  prospecting 
and  mining,  decided  to  leave  the  mining  country. 
He  sold  his  mining  interests  and  left  Virginia  City 
for  his  home  the  fifteenth  of  September.  He  arrived 
in  the  States  the  fourteenth  of  November  with  enough 
gold  to  make  good  his  vow.  The  amount  of  his  pile 
will  be  left  to  the  imagination  of  the  curious,  as  a 
miner  seldom  tells  how  much  gold  he  brings  home. 

Shortly  after  his  return  home,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  the  girl  he  left  behind  him,  who  had  been 
one  of  his  pupils  during  the  term  that  he  was  teaching 
in  the  Beech  Woods  country.  During  the  last  year 
past  they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anniversary 
at  625  Prairie  Avenue,  Creston,  Iowa,  where  they  now 
reside.  So  mote  it  be. 

The  End. 

221 


